Call for Papers: on The Future and Past of ‘Progress’ in Cultural Heritage Law, 11 September 2025, Berlin, Germany
Call for Papers
The Future and Past of ‘Progress’ in Cultural Heritage Law
ESIL Annual Conference 2025 – Berlin, Germany
Pre-Conference Workshop of the International Law of Culture Interest Group
11 September 2025, 09:00-12:00
Workshop Theme
Cultural heritage law has a complicated relationship with the past. On the one hand, the field seeks to protect the ‘past’ for future generations through the act of heritage preservation. However, the state in which the ‘past’ needs to be transmitted to future generations is in itself a dynamic concept which has changed over time, influenced by evolving notions of ‘authenticity’ and ‘integrity,’ alongside changing professional sensitivities. As such, in the present day, the international law of culture is as much concerned with the relationship between people and their heritage in the here and now, rather than with mediating between the past and present. In these debates, the future moreover often recedes into the background.
Format
The workshop will take place in person at the Freie Universität Berlin on 11 September 2025. The conveners strongly encourage in-person participation in order to facilitate interactions among participants. However, in the interests of equity and accessibility, the conveners will also accept applications from those unable to attend in person, in which case participants will be able to present their papers online. Unfortunately, due to technical constraints, it is not possible to provide full hybrid participation.
Submission of Proposals
Abstracts of no more than 500 words (in English) must be submitted to the IG conveners at: [email protected] by 4 April 2025.
Your submission should include:
- The author’s name, affiliation, and email address;
- The author’s CV, including a list of relevant publications;
- Whether the author is an ESIL member;
- Any information relevant to the ESIL Statement of Principles on Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (optional);
- Whether you plan to attend in person or would like to present online;
- Whether you wish to be considered for the ESIL Early-Career Scholar Prize.
Authors of successful abstracts will be notified by 18 April 2025 at the latest.
For more details, refer here
