Quarterly ACHS Newsletter Issue 3 - October 2016

President's Message

Dear ACHS member

I'm pleased to bring you another ACHS newsletter. This one comes on the back of the very successful Montreal conference. Over 800 people attended and the team, led by Lucie Morisset, did a fantastic job in hosting everyone and creating a very stimulating conference. Organising a conference of this size requires a huge amount of effort over a sustained period, and once again I would like to thank all of those involved in Montreal for doing such a great job.  As you'll see Lucie has provided a report of the Montreal event below.  It's also noticeable how the discussions and debates have evolved over the course of the first three ACHS conferences, and I'm sure this will continue into the future. 

Oneof the significant developments of the Montreal conference was the attention given to the Chapters and Networks. Many of the chapters and networks held meetings, and discussed plans for further gatherings over the coming year or so. I am also currently investigating how we introduce new communication mechanisms for the chapters and networks, and will have some good news regarding that in the coming weeks hopefully.  

As you will see below, we have some books for review by ACHS members and we have listed a number of the excellent publications that have arisen from previous ACHS conferences. If we don't have yours, please let us know so that we can include them on the website. 

I have just returned from a trip to China, which included a 3 day visit to Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, our hosts for the 2018 conference, Heritage Across Borders (1-6th September). Planning is coming along well and the team are currently working on the conference registration and abstract submission infrastructure. The aim is to launch this in the coming months. As part of my trip, a small conference was convened on heritage as cooperation and conflict in Asia, and this represents the first of several events that the team will organise over the coming 18 months in preparation for September 2018.  

Finally, as always, I encourage you to dig around the pages of the ACHS website. We are constantly updating it with new content. And if you have items you would like us to publicise, please use the submission form on the site. 

Tim Winter

ACHS President

Official opening of the achs2016 conference, montreal

Official opening of the achs2016 conference, montreal

ACHS Announcements

At the General Meeting held in association with the ACHS2016 Conference in Montreal the newly elected ACHS Executive Committee was announced. The voting was facilitated through the implemented of a new online voting system which was removed some of the uncertainty from previous elections. Tim Winter has been reelected as President of the Association and will be able to continue to implement a number of initiatives which will support the association as it continues to grow. Having served his prescribed maximum of two terms Rodney Harrison stepped down from the role of as Vice President, and has been replaced by Lucie Morisset. Rodney will remain on the executive with other continuing members; Meredith Holmgren, Anna Karlström, Lucas Lixinski, Celmara Pocock, Laurajane Smith, Michelle Stefano and Yujie Zhu. We are also delighted to welcome new members of the executive, Susan Ashley, Munukayumbwa Munyima, Bryony Onciul and Trinidad Rico.

 

The ACHS Executive comprises a number of subcommittees:

  • Communications: Chaired by Celmara Pocock
  • Conferences and Events: Chaired by Rodney Harrison
  • Members and Chapters: Chaired by Trinidad Rico

During the ACHS 2016 Conference voting was held to select the host for the ACHS 2020 Conference. There were four strong proposals to host the conference from London and Newcastle in the United Kingdom, Zagreb in Croatia and Arkansas in the United States of America. Voting was open to all members via the online system. Professor Tim Winter announced the successful bid at the Closing Banquet - and  London will host ACHS 2020.  

Professor Lucie Morisset welcomes delegates to the ACHS 2016 Conference

Professor Lucie Morisset welcomes delegates to the ACHS 2016 Conference

2016 Montreal Conference Report

Lucie Morisset, Jessica Mace and Myriam Joannette

What Does Heritage Change? This was the oft-repeated question throughout—and, indeed, the main theme of—the 2016 ACHS conference. Held in Montreal, Canada from 3 – 8 June 2016 at the University of Quebec in Montreal and Concordia University, the conference proved to be a dynamic setting for thought-provoking and thrilling exchanges. Over 800 delegates from 51 countries worldwide descended upon Montreal in order to consider the manifestations, discourses, epistemologies, policies, and stakes of heritage—as a phenomenon, a symptom, an effect or a catalyst; as a tool of empowerment or leverage; as a physical or intangible restraint or kick-off; in communities, societies, or any material or mental environment. Through some 550 of papers and posters, roundtables, public debates and research–creation sessions, scholars, practitioners and students from all disciplines came together to discuss and debate these ideas in the context of political uses, economic value, activism, expertise, co-construction, geography, language, policy, postcolonialism, law and pedagogy, to name just a small selection of topics. Throughout the entirety of the conference, enthusiastic and animated exchanges took place within all of the sessions, roundtables and debates, spilling over into the breaks and beyond.

Many of these issues were addressed by the four keynote speakers; Professor James Count Early, Professor Xavier Greffe, Professor Michael Herzfeld and Professor Lucie K. Morisset. While each speaker had a different focus, all of them explored the past, present and future of heritage and heritage practices, further providing important questions for delegates to consider and to carry forward into their own lives, as well as into subsequent conferences.

Beyond the context of formal discussions, delegates had various opportunities to explore the rich cultural history of Montreal, the province of Quebec and Canada at large through a variety of activities and tours. Layered local histories were represented. For instance, the opening reception at the Chapel of the Grey Nuns included a welcome to Mohawk land by Chief Christine Zachary Deom of the Kahnawake band council, and contemporary art installations inside and in the gardens attested to Montreal’s religious and colonial past as well as its present-day thriving art scene. In terms of local cuisine, delegates sampled Montreal’s famous smoked meat and traditional Quebecois maple taffy on snow, in the temporary sugar shack. A variety of stimulating performances were also held throughout the conference, including demonstrations of Inuit throat-singing and Yiddish chants. Opportunities to explore the host-city of Montreal and its surroundings abounded, including visits to Old Montreal, Chinatown, the Lachine Canal, the Mount Royal Summit, and the nearby indigenous community of Kahnawà:ke. All of this was capped off by a jubilant closing banquet held in the old port of Montreal, where, among other delights, delegates got to sample Quebec’s world-famous poutine, which fuelled them up for an evening of traditional Quebecois style music and dancing.

In short, the 2016 conference left us buzzing with new ideas, new possibilities, new friends, and left us counting down the days to the 2018 conference in Hangzhou, China.

Membership and Chapter News

Membership Update

Membership of the Association continues to grow with a jump in new members following the conference. At the end of August there were 1800 members, an increase of over 500 from March. This includes chapter membership for Australia/New Zealand (201); Canada (106); Germany (49); India (30); Nordic (123); United Kingdom (349) and United States of America (167), as well as 676 Members of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Network.

The map below shows the worldwide distribution of our 1800 members as of September 2016.

Chapter Update

The Memberships and Chapters committee has been focusing on consolidating existing chapters and expressions of interest for the establishment of new chapters. In addition, we have been working on setting up brief guidelines that will make the inclusion and running of chapters, as well as communication with the Executive Committee, more transparent.

We are pleased to announce a number of new chapters and include updates from some of our existing chapters.

Norwegian Chapter (ACHS-Norway)

At a meeting in 2015 with several research environments in Norway a desire to establish a national network for heritage research was addressed. The national chapter that has been recently established at ACHS will provide information on ongoing activities, but also promote and facilitate the seminars, symposiums or workshops on heritage issues that engage researchers in Norway. Through the Norwegian Chapter of ACHS, the researchers in the heritage field can address specific issues relevant to Norwegian everyday life and politics, for example, issues on migration and notions of Norwegian national heritage or other local or national aspects of heritage in the light of Nordic and international trends. The national network will provide an opportunity for addressing issues concerning multidisciplinary research, strengthen networking between research groups in Norway and beyond, discuss future challenges for heritage, and convey and create dialogue between heritage researchers, the Norwegian management sector and the public.

For more information please contact the Chapter Coordinator, Torgrim Sneve Guttormsen (torgrim.guttormsen@niku.no), from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU).

Canadian Chapter (ACHS-CA)

We are pleased to announce the formation of ACHS Canada. The goal of the chapter is to foster critical approaches to heritage in and around Canada. ACHS Canada coordinators, Richard Hutchings and Marina La Salle, can be contacted at achs.ca.2016@gmail.com with questions, suggestions and announcements. Please check their website for updates.

Nigerian Chapter

The Nigerian Chapter for ACHS will officially launch on September 28th 2016, in an event at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State. Members of ACHS in Nigeria are eager to pursue the study of heritage in all its ramifications, but especially in the area of intangible cultural heritage. The coordinator for this chapter is Charles O. Akinde, cakinde@outlook.com

UK Chapter ACHS news 2016

The UK Chapter ACHS has had an exciting summer with events in June and July. We had our first meeting in Montreal on 7th June 2016 organised by Dr Kat Lloyd. The event was called Critical Heritage Studies in the UK: Future Directions and we had eight provocations from a range of academics from Early Careers to high profile Professors: Prof. Elizabeth Crook, Dr. Helen Graham, Prof. Rodney Harrison, Dr. Sophia Labadi, Prof. Rhiannon Mason, Prof. Mairead Nic Craith, Dr. Bryony Onciul, and Dr. Anna Woodham. These five minute talks covered a wide range of current UK issues such as: political conflict, current government initiatives, funding cuts, sustainability, intangible heritage, posthumanist approaches, postcolonialism, and climate change. Following this there was open discussion of the plan for and future of the chapter. We had a full house, with standing room only, which was an excellent start to the chapter’s activities.

On July 11th we followed up this initial momentum with a symposium at the University of Exeter’s Cornwall Campus. This brought together 23 academics, practitioners and PhD students to discuss the question: Can we have a ‘UK critical heritage’ in a globalised world with a colonial past? If so, what should be the focus and key drivers of moving critical heritage forward in the UK? We had papers on a diversity of topics including: nationalism, regionalism, archiving, intangible heritage, memory, landscape, assemblage, everyday objects, current political contexts, violent histories, commemoration, climate change, flooding, postcolonialism, and the future direction the of chapter. The day was filled with vibrant discussions and ended with an evening networking event in Falmouth.

These initial events have kick-started the chapter and we are encouraging members to host events in their areas of the UK. We will be announcing future events in our newsletters and have a national event lined up for 2017 – more details to follow soon. Keep up-to-date via our newsletter (which you will receive if you select UK as your location or interest on your AHRC membership), or twitter.

We welcome new members and ideas for, and offers to host, events. Please join through the ACHS website http://www.criticalheritagestudies.org/become-a-member-1/, contact us directly at achsukchapter@gmail.com, and follow us on twitter: @achsukchapter

Intangible Heritage network (ACHS ICH) 

The network currently includes 672 members and sends out a regular monthly newsletter. The ICH network is coordinated by Harriet Deacon (UK / South Africa), and has a committee of 25 members: Richenel Ansano (Curacao), Mrinalini Atrey (India), Chiara Bortolotto (France), Nataliya Bezborodova (Canada / Ukraine), Janet Blake (Iran), Anna Catalani (UK), Marina Calvo (Spain / Algeria), Voltaire Cang (Japan), Cristina Clopot (UK / Romania), Marcela Jaramillo Contreras (Belgium / Colombia), Emily Drani (Uganda), Daniel Barrera Fernandez (Mexico), Evy Johanne Håland (Norway / Greece), Elgidius Ichumbaki (Tanzania), Aynur Kadir (Canada / China), Marc Jacobs (Belgium), Toshiyuki Kono (Japan), Kristin Kuutma (Estonia), Leah Lowthorp (USA / India), April Liu (Canada / China), Gyooho Lee (Korea), Lisa Rogers (Australia), Keletso Setlhabi (Botswana), Laurier Turgeon (Canada), Benedetta Ubertazzi (Italy).

Other Events

Forthcoming Conferences - Calls for Papers

Heritages of Migration: Moving Stories, Objects and Home

Dates: 6 – 10 April 2017
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Short Description: In their movements between old and new worlds, migrant communities carry with them practices, traditions, objects and stories that are transmitted across new communities and through generations. This conference seeks to explore the layering of global cultures that has been produced by centuries of global migration, and its effect on memory, identity and belonging, as well as its effects on tangible and intangible heritage. The conference is designed encourage provocative dialogue across the fullest range of disciplines. Thus we welcome papers from academic colleagues in a wide range of fields. Please see the conference website for full details and call for papers.
Organisers: Ironbridge International Institute for Cultural Heritage (University of Birmingham), Collaborative for Cultural Heritage Management and Policy (University of Illinois)
Contact: Hannah Stretton, Ironbridge@contacts.bham.ac.uk
Deadline: Call for papers deadline: 14th October 2016
Web link: www.heritagesofmigration.wordpress.com 

BRIDGE: The Heritage of Connecting Places and Cultures

Dates: 6-10 July 2017
City, Country: Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, Shropshire, UK

Short Description: Bridges physically and symbolically connect places, communities and cultures; they remind us of division while at the same time providing the means for unification. This conference seeks to explore heritage of bridges –not only as remarkable physical structures connecting places and cultures but also as symbolic and metaphorical markers in the landscape. Please see the website for full details and call for papers. 
Organisers: Ironbridge International Institute for Cultural Heritage (University of Birmingham), Collaborative for Cultural Heritage Management and Policy (University of Illinois)
Contact: Hannah Stretton, Ironbridge@contacts.bham.ac.uk
Deadline: Call for papers deadline: 1st November 2016
Web Link: www.bridgeconference.wordpress.com

Publication outcomes from ACHS Conferences

The ACHS Executive Committee would like to recognise that several ACHS panel convenors from the 2012 Gothenburg Conference and the 2014 Canberra Conference have successfully collated panel papers and published in special issues of journals, in edited manuscripts, and in the form of book chapters. We would like to acknowledge these to showcase the already substantial discourse that ACHS supports. Please contact the ACHS team if you have had a previous panel paper from an ACHS conference published and would like to share it on our website.

Book Reviews

The ACHS is looking for members to review books for the newsletter. The following titles have been received by the ACHS and are available for review:

  • Arns, Jennifer Weil. Annual Review of Cultural Heritage Informatics. Lanham:  Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.
  • Barrera-Fernandez, Daniel.  Attracting visitors to ancient neighbourhoods: Creation and management of the historic city of Plymouth, UK. N.p:In-Planning, 2015.
  • Corrado, Edward M., and Heather Lea Moulaison. Digital Preservation for Libraries, Archives, and Museums. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
  • Erskine-Loftus, Pamela, Victoria Penziner Hightower, and Mariam Ibrahim Al-Mulla. Representing the Nation: Heritage, Museums, National Narratives, and Identity in the Arab Gulf States. London: Routledge, 2016.
  • Harvey, David, and James A. Perry. The future of heritage as climates change: loss, adaptation and creativity. New York: Routledge, 2015.
  • Harvey, D. R., and Martha R. Mahard. The Preservation Management Handbook: A 21st-Century Guide for Libraries, Archives, and Museums. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
  • Labadi, Sophia, and William Logan. Urban Heritage, Development and Sustainability: International Frameworks, National and Local Governance. New York: Routledge, 2016.
  • Smith, Peter F. Climate Change and Cultural Heritage: A Race against Time. New York: Routledge,  2014.   

If you would like to review one of the titles listed above please contact the ACHS Book Reviews Editor, Edward Salo, who will send you a copy of the book. The books will be offered on a first come- first serve basis, and reviewers are able to keep the book.

If you would like to register as a reviewer for future book offerings please email the book review editor directly.  Please include a brief description of your research interests, qualifications, and areas of expertise so that you can be matched with relevant books.

Social Media

The official Twitter Account and FaceBook pages for the ACHS were very active during the ACHS2016 Conference in Montreal. We encourage all members to continue to use social media to disseminate news, events and publications. The FaceBook Page has more than 200 Likes. We'd also love to see more posts from members on the page or tweet your news ACHS@crit_heritage. 

Events, Opportunities & Conferences