Call for Papers– ICOM NATHIST 2024 Annual Conference

❗️NEW DEADLINE: 15th June 2024, 23:59, GMT+1

Theme of the Annual Conference 2024:

QUESTIONING THE COLLECTIONS: NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS AND SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL CHALLENGES 

In the 2020s, many science museums are undergoing a major transformation in order to respond to socio-ecological issues and enable their visitors to envisage a desirable future by devising ways of getting there. Natural history collections are an exceptional tool for understanding these multifaceted societal issues: the collapse of biodiversity, the climate emergency, pollution, migration, over-exploitation of the planet, etc.

The primary aim of this conference is to highlight the role of collections in mediating contemporary issues, using examples from different continents.

Bringing together museums professionals from all over the world and fostering sustainable networks is an integral role of ICOM. As it becomes increasingly necessary to collaborate in new partnerships with divers actors and institutions to address current global challenges.

For the registration fee and program of the conference, please refer to the following post: https://icomnathist.com/2024/04/27/icom-nathist-2024-annual-conference/ 

 

We are interested in papers that address the following topics regarding the role of museum collections:

  1. Faced with the socio-ecological challenges we face should we use our collections to marvel, alert or propose a desirable future?
  2. Our collections are evidence of a changing world: how can we make the most of them?
  3. What kind of collection acquisition policy should we adopt to support the socio-ecological transition?
  4. How can the collections be used to combat eco-anxiety?
  5. Exchanging exhibitions between museums or exchanging collections between museums?
  6. How do we define a sustainable collection? Do we need to reduce our storage capacity in order to be eco-responsible?
  7. Should we stop loaning collections for temporary exhibitions?
  8. The impact of collections on museums’ carbon and energy footprints: acquisition, conservation, presentation, etc.
  9. What is a collection described as colonial? What meaning should be given to it in a discourse on socio-ecological transition?
  10. How should the collections be mediated to support the museum’s discourse?
  11. How can museum staff be trained in the socio-ecological transition?

Conference Format

  • Hybrid, accepting both physical and virtual speakers.
  • Conference language: English and French (simultaneous interpretation available).

Submission and Deadline:

  1. Submit your abstract to the following form before 15th JUNE 2024: https://forms.gle/JUMh4Q8gSQ4YsWkU7
  2. The title should not be more than 20 English words, while the abstract should not exceed 250 English words. References do not count in the abstracts.
  3. If you have any problem accessing the form above during your abstract submission, please email the secretary, Ms. Phaedra Fang: