Why Remember?: Reframing Trauma

What should we remember, what should we forget, and, ultimately, why? How can traumatic pasts be engaged with in the present in productive ways? It will explore the role of publicly visible memory and its potential impact on issues such as reconciliation and healing in the wake of conflict, and how, either consciously or unconsciously, memory processes shape the present and the future. [...] The conference will also explore the role of museums and memory sites that deal with traces of memory, culture and conflict, and ask broadly: how can they more effectively promote tolerance, resilience, inter-group and inter-ethnic cooperation? What is the role, if any, of such institutions in supporting counter-narratives and making sense of contested pasts as a part of peacebuilding and conflict. [...] What is a museum’s responsibility in the formation and maintenance of cultural memory? Which strategies for public engagement and education in trauma informed work are successful and which are not? How can youth be actively, bravely and safely involved in peacebuilding through engagement with museums/sites of memory? How might curatorial, architectural, education and design strategies promote peac. [...] There will be a pre conference workshop on the 12th on Trauma Informed Practices and Pedagogies, and a post conference workshop for ECRs and PhDs on the 15th. [...] The conference is supported by London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, The Manhattan College Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center and the Institute for the Research of War crimes at the University of Sarajevo mailto:peaceconflictculturalnetwork@gmail.com.