Call for Participation | History and Archives in Practice 2025
- Event type
- Call for Papers
- Event dates
- Contact
- research@nationalarchives.gov.uk Email only
Working with Memory: History, Storytelling and Practices of Remembrance
Senate House, University of London, Wednesday 5 March 2025
Deadline: 30 September 11:45PM
In 2025, people around the world will reflect on 80 years since the end of World War II, remembering this pivotal moment in global history and commemorating the lives lost during the conflict.
Those of us working with history and collections - archivists, historians, researchers and practitioners - think about memory on a daily basis. However, memory itself is an elusive and plural concept, it is both material and immaterial, and working with memory is not without its challenges. With HAP25 we want to consider these challenges, share our learnings, celebrate our successes, and delve into the possibilities that occur at the intersections of history and archives.
We seek to explore how we understand and work with memory, considering questions like: How are memory, storytelling and remembrance felt and practised? How do we decide what memories to collect, and whose stories to tell? And how can we imagine new, expansive and intersectional ways of working with memory within our practices?
HAP25 aims to explore, but is not limited to, some of the following topics:
- Commemoration and remembrance: How and why do individuals, communities, and nations work together to commemorate and remember? How have practices changed over time and how might they look in the future? What is the role of historians and archivists and what can we learn from those outside of our professions
- Storytelling, history and archival practice: How does storytelling inform, challenge and expand our practices as historians and archivists? In what ways can we tell stories to enhance access to and collaboration with histories and collections? And how do innovative forms of collecting and engaging impact our understanding of storytelling?
- Ethics and working with memory: What are the ethical challenges and considerations of working with and recording memory? How can storytelling and working with memory challenge archival absences?
- Home, personal memories and archives: How might we rethink collecting practices, to incorporate contemporary objects and personal archives? How do family historians work with memory?
- Community memory: How do communities work to ensure the inclusion of their stories and experiences? How do we best collaborate on this? Who is best placed to be doing this work? How do national memory narratives change? How do community memories get a place on the transnational stage of remembering?
- Institutional memory and beyond: How is institutional memory accessed? How can institutional memory interact with and respond to memory beyond the institution? How can historians, archivists, information managers and stakeholders collaborate to ensure that institutional memory is reflexive and reflective of the needs of different users?
- Beyond materiality: How do we think about the immaterial and material memory of collections How can we collaborate with conservators, heritage scientists and practitioners to look beyond the materiality of a record to preserve its memory
HAP25 is particularly keen to highlight and support smaller organisations, underrepresented collections, and marginalised voices as well as new and emerging research.
Bursaries for contributors
- A limited number of bursaries will be available for contributors to support their participation, such as travel and childcare.
- Contributors will be informed of the outcome of their submission and invited to apply for bursaries on Tuesday 22 November. They will be informed of the outcome of their bursary application before Wednesday 4 December.
How to submit a proposal?
- Please submit an abstract (300 words) by 30 September 11:45PM using the form on the IHR website: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HAP25-CfP
What format can I submit?
- ‘History and Archives in Practice’ encourages a wide range of formats that best showcase a collection and the experience / lessons of collaborative working between archivists and historians on shared projects.
Please get in touch with HAP organisers at research@nationalarchives.gov.uk if you have any questions or whether you’d like to discuss your idea for another format.
What format can I submit?
Papers
Papers will be 10 minute presentations, with or without accompanying slides. Proposals may have up to a maximum of two speakers (any more can be submitted as a panel – see below) Papers may also take the form of a case study that explore a concrete project or initiative that relate to the HAP25 theme.
Panels
Panels should consist of three 10 minute papers and include a named panel chair (max of 3 people). They can be submitted on any pertinent topic within the theme and can include papers relating to an individual project, emerging initiatives, or relevant overview. Submissions should include a suggested panel title and demonstrate clear relevance to the theme.
Workshops
Workshops are practical sessions of up to one hour. Workshops aim at bringing people together to creatively problem solve a particular topic or issue, with or without a technological focus. All proposals should clearly demonstrate a high level of interactivity and audience participation. Proposals should also articulate clear objectives for the session, including an idea of desirable solutions or outcomes.
Demonstration and handling session
Demonstration and handling sessions will introduce attendees to selected items from your collections, and their potential in research. A maximum of two of these casual sessions will run simultaneously over the lunch period where attendees will move between each session.
Roundtable
A roundtable discussion is a themed conversation with one moderator and no more than 4 additional speakers, up to one hour long. The idea is to bring a variety of perspectives to actively discuss a subject rather than formally presenting. We encourage professional networks and societies to lead on these sessions discussing issues relevant to the conference theme. Roundtables should be open to all conference delegates and require no prior knowledge or preparation. A roundtable audience can simply observe or participate by asking questions - interactivity should be clarified in the proposal.
Long table
A long table is an experimental open public forum designed to facilitate free-flowing dialogue by gathering together people with common interests. Any attendee can participate by getting up and joining the long table. This format works best for discussions that may be provocative, challenging and that will benefit from a wide range of perspectives. The long table may be up to one hour long.
Other proposals and formats
Other proposals and formats for communicating activity, experience, and research are also welcome as we look to move on from traditional conference models.
