8th Pascal Observatory International Conference: Heritage, Regional, Development and Social Cohesion

LATEST on 8th PASCAL conference in Ostersund Sweden

Please find here an updated version of the conference program for the 8th Pascal Conference in Sweden. The application form is now included as well as the accommodation details. The deadline for abstracts to be received is 25th February 2010. Abstracts should be sent to: [email protected]

We hope to see you all there!

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS

This 8th international PASCAL conference on heritage, regional development and social cohesion is co-hosted by the PASCAL Observatory and the Nordic Centre of Heritage Learning (NCK) and arranged by the Jamtli Museum. The conference provides an opportunity for the research and academic community working in these fields and will also be of significant interest to practitioners in these areas particularly from cities and regional development agencies, local and national government agencies and organisations working in the field. The conference will facilitate the sharing of experiences and research findings across a wide range of interests.

DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS 15 FEBRUARY 2010

THE JÄMTLAND REGION AND THE CITY OF ÖSTERSUND

The Jämtland County with its enormous forests, lakes and mountains is in the middle of Sweden. The region is sparsely populated and the economy is in modern times dependent on both summer and winter tourism based on three components: Cultural and natural heritage and sport! The Mid-Sweden University Campus in Östersund has the largest research and development resource in the fields of winter sport and tourism in Scandinavia.

THE CONFERENCE VENUE

The Jamtli museum with its Open Air Museum is one of the oldest and largest in Scandinavia and is well known for its pedagogical work. Jamtli’s use of the living history method with role play for families is especially renowned. The museum exhibitions have been praised and received awards for their pedagogical methods which attract families.

HOSTS

The Observatory PASCAL is an international research and policy development alliance, which aims to develop, discuss and communicate new concepts and emerging ideas about place management, social capital and learning regions. The central theme of the third mission of universities in regional development is one of the pivotal strands of the PASCAL Observatory.

PASCAL originally grew out of the work of the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on both higher education management and regional development. The Observatory was created in 2002 by a number of universities and regional authorities who wished to further and expand their work under the auspices of an independent alliance of experts.

PASCAL’s activities are funded through subscriptions from local regional governments and membership fees from universities and colleges. PASCAL undertakes research and development projects related to place management, social capital and learning regions, utilizing a growing network of partners and associates, and animate dialogue and discussion among members and other interested organisations through the publication of studies and papers as well as conferences and workshops. The PASCAL Observatory is funded by its members on the presumption that there is considerable work to be done to enable regional governments and associated policy-makers to benefit fully from emerging research and learning about how best to foster balanced and sustainable economic and social development in their regions. PASCAL invites new members to join its network. To find out more about the service or to become a supporter look up www.obs-pascal.com

The Östersund based Nordic Centre of Heritage Learning (NCK) is a joint Nordic initiative, developing and promoting lifelong learning processes at cultural heritage institutions in the Nordic countries. NCK is a meeting ground and a forum where students and other interest groups can seek information, exchange ideas and establish new contacts. Through collaboration, practise-near research and a pedagogical approach, NCK aims to make cultural heritage easily accessible and integrates the cultural heritage, arts and learning with the ongoing development of society. To find out more, please consult www.nckultur.org

CONFERENCE THEME

The overall theme for this conference is Heritage, Regional Development and Social Cohesion. Cultural and natural heritage is a resource for development in many different ways for regional and local stakeholders. Tourism, leisure and out of classroom experiences come to mind naturally, but the possibilities and challenges go far beyond that. The agendas of social inclusion, lifelong learning for all and place management have a lot to gain from constructive use of heritage.

SUBTHEMES IN PARALLEL SEMINARS

a) Lifelong learning through heritage and other cultural engagement

Constant change in society is affecting also heritage and cultural organisations. Are museums and other heritage institutions prepared to meet these new challenges? Can these institutions survive and develop on their own or, are partnerships of different kinds the answer for the future? The diversity of the international learning market includes heritage and other cultural engagement. But what happens when the focus of learning and education shifts from input to output, from curriculum to competences? And how does this effect the role of universities and higher education in relation to the lifelong learning market development?

b) Heritage and social inclusion in development of cultural capital

Access to culture in all its various forms and nature is of utmost importance for developing cultural capital. Possession of cultural capital can be seen as a tool for both integration and social inclusion. Cultural capital can help people and regions grow. Why is it that cultural and natural capital are so important, and in what ways are they important for individuals and regions? What role can heritage organisations take in learning communities on the one hand and in individual as well as regional development? On the other hand we have the universities: what tools do they have to participate in this process? The third mission of the universities, ‘Service to the Community’, is it applicable in this case? And where do regional governments and other stakeholders stand?

c) Heritage tourism and sustainable development – a contradiction?

New demands on heritage and cultural organisations include a more direct focus on economic aspects. What can be seen as a contradiction might be a demonstrated need for these specific organisations themselves and a demand from regional authorities and institutional boards to support them. An increasing part of modern tourism is based on the attraction of heritage as part of, or in addition to, leisure. Cultural and natural heritage sites are often exploited and much of the political rhetoric is focussed on both preservation and the commercial possibilities of heritage. Is it possible to both preserve and exhibit heritage? Or, is it possible to preserve and evaluate heritage without giving access to it? How do universities and higher education institutions reflect this challenge and can regional politics assist in this area? Are there any differences between the methods of the humanities and the social sciences in analyzing this development?

d) New expectations from stakeholders on heritage organisations in the 21st century

Heritage organisations of today are forced to handle harsher demands (the economic at the fore) from stakeholders. But is there really a financial return in cultural and natural heritage? Heritage institutions also face demands from institutional boards while attempting to remain to be true to themselves, and to society. For whom is heritage preserved, and for what purpose? Whose heritage should be preserved? Is access to cultural and heritage as well as the items chosen for preservation a luxury in our societies? The re is always someone responding for the archives, the collections and the acquisition of objects to be preserved. Is there also a moral responsibility? Heritage organisations lead this kind of discussions, but where are the stakeholders and the universities to be found? Aside from research and education, universities have a third mission – service to the community. What role can they play in lifelong learning through heritage and other cultural engagement? What questions can they pose?

FORMAT OF THE CONFERENCE

The particular mix of participants at PASCAL conferences provides for an informed dialogue between academics, regional and local leaders, and professionals. In addition to keynote addresses, panels and individual papers, demonstration projects will illustrate successful practice, and roundtable discussions will allow for debate and discussion on a range of topics within the themes of Heritage, Regional Development and Social Cohesion.

Conference fee: € 350

Early-bird discount (before 15 March): € 315

Companions programme fee: € 290

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Public policy-makers and managers, community development leaders, university researchers, stakeholders and partners from all sectors working in the fields of heritage, lifelong learning, place management and social capital.

SUBMITTING AN ABSTRACT

DEADLINE 15 FEBRUARY 2010

We welcome submission of abstracts for individual papers and demonstration projects illustrating good practice which are focused on one or more of the conference themes. We particularly welcome papers which have an international comparative dimension.

ABSTRACTS SHOULD INDICATE

- the nature of the paper, for example, whether it is a report of completed research, work in progress, an analytical or discussion paper or a demonstration project

- the issues the paper raises

- the relationship of the paper to other literature, research etc.

- the approach to the topic, and where relevant an outline of methodology, sample etc.

- conclusions and recommendations

Abstracts should not exceed 500 words. The working language for the conference is English. Abstracts must be submitted no later than 15 February 2010. Submission should be by e-mail as a Microsoft Word attachment.

Please send abstracts to: [email protected]

PROPOSALS MUST CLEARLY STATE

- the subtheme for which the abstract is submitted

- full name(s), job title(s), place(s) of employment, postal, telephone, fax and e-mail address(es) of proposers

Abstracts will be peer reviewed and contributors will be notified regarding acceptance of their papers by 1 March 2010.

Each paper accepted for presentation will be allocated 20 minutes in duration. Presentations should be no longer than 15 minutes, leaving at least 5 minutes for discussion and questions. Full papers to be included in the conference proceedings must be submitted before 15 May 2010. Papers should not exceed 5000 words.

The results of the conference will be published as a manuscript. All papers selected for publication after the conference will be subjected to a full refereeing process. Deadline for submission of final papers for this publication is 31 August 2010. Details of submission format will be provided to authors upon acceptance of their paper for publication.

Keynote speakers

Verne S. Harris, Head Memory Programme, Nelson Mandela Foundation, South Africa

Verne Harris heads the Memory Programme for the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and Dialogue at the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and is an honorary research associate with the University of Cape Town. He participated in a range of structures which transformed South Africa’s apartheid archival landscape – amongst others, the African National Congress’s Archives Committee, the Arts and Culture Task Group, the Consultative Forum which drafted the National Archives of South Africa Act, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the South African History Archive.

Mark O’Neill, Head of Arts and Museums Glasgow, U.K.

Mark O'Neill is Head of Arts and Museums in Glasgow City Council's Cultural and Leisure Services Department. In his 20 year working in Glasgow he has: established an award winning community museum; set up the only museum of world religions in the UK; managed the redisplay of the People's Palace, Glasgow's local history museum; and led the team which planned, and secured the funding for, the redisplay and restoration of Kelvingrove.

Darlene E. Clover, Associate Professor., University in Victoria, Canada

Darlene E. Clover is an Associate Professor in adult education and leadership studies at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Her areas of research and teaching include women and leadership, feminist adult education, cultural leadership, environmental adult education and arts-based adult education and research. Past studies have focused on how women use the arts as a tool of social justice and community learning. Her most recent book titled “The Arts and Social Justice: Re-Crafting Adult Education and Community Cultural Leadership” is published by NIACE in England. Darlene’s current study focuses on contemporary critical adult education practices in arts and cultural institutions in Canada and Europe.

Margherita Sani, Project Manager at IBC, Italy

Margherita Sani, BA in Literature and Philosophy at the University of Bologna, MA in Museums and Galleries Administration at the City University, London, works at the Istituto Beni Culturali of the Region Emilia Romagna (IBC) where she is in charge of innovative and international projects, and training programmes for museum personnel, both at regional and international level. Since 1996 she has organised the yearly European Museum Forum Workshop in cooperation with the Award giving institution, the European Museum Forum Trust and has led several EU funded projects, especially within the Lifelong Learning Programme, which have been recognised as best practice: “Lifelong Museum Learning”, “Museums Tell Many Stories”, “Voch – Volunteers for Cultural Heritage” and “MAP for ID – Museums as Places for Intercultural Dialogue”. She is on the NEMO (Network of European Museum Organisations) executive board and a member of ICTOP (ICOM Committee Training Personnel). She also actively contributes to the activities of the informal network EMAC – European Museum Advisors Conference.