Genealogies of Memory 2026 The Lasting Presence of the Past: How Trauma Lives on Across Generations?

Thematic focus

Cultural History
Environmental History
Intellectual History
Local History
Political History
Social History
Histories of Discrimination and Persecution
Histories of Violence
Histories of Wars and Warfare
History of Anti-Semitism
History of National Minorities
Holocaust
Remembrance / Collective Memory
Europe
20th Century

Language

English

Country

Poland

Address

Date

Deadline:

Contact

genealogies@enrs.eu

Description

The 16th edition of the Genealogies of Memory conference, organised by the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity (ENRS), brings together scholars from diverse disciplines to explore the intergenerational transmission of trauma. Taking place on 23–25 September 2026 in Iași, Romania, the conference asks how memories of violent and traumatic pasts are passed down, transformed, and reconstructed across generations — and what silences, ruptures, and reappropriations this process involves.With a particular focus on Central and Eastern Europe in comparative perspective, the conference examines how postmemory, collaborative remembering, and archival documentation shape the second and third generations' engagement with events they did not directly experience. Discussions will address hegemonic memory narratives and counter-memories, artistic and reconstructive memory practices, and the challenges of digital mediation — including polarisation, echo chambers, and the manipulation of traumatic histories online. The event welcomes interdisciplinary proposals from historians, literary scholars, sociologists, psychologists, and other researchers working on memory, trauma, and transitional justice. Submissions are open until 3 May 2026.

Organiser

European Network Remembrance and Solidarity