ERIH Annual Conference 2025: Call for Papers
‘C the Unseen – Intangible Cultural Heritage in Industrial Culture’ is the title of the 21st ERIH Annual Conference, to be held in Chemnitz, Germany, from 22 to 24 October. The theme is based on the motto of the host city, which is also this year's European Capital of Culture, putting its festival programme under the heading ‘C the Unseen’. ERIH takes this as an opportunity to focus specifically on aspects of industrial heritage that have been passed down orally or reflect historical attitudes.
This heritage includes everyday habits as well as rituals and traditions relating to music, food, sport and festivals. Pigeon fancier's clubs, miners' choirs, football teams and their fan culture, canteens and pubs, regional crafts and recipes have shaped life in industrial areas in very different ways and, in some cases, continue to do so. They all foster people's sense of connection to industrial sites and their history, and often live on in local networks and associations.
What is the potential of this intangible legacy for industrial heritage sites? How can it be preserved and put to good use? What strategies and formats can be employed to tap into new target groups and activate networks that promote and strengthen industrial heritage identification with neighbourhoods, cities and regions? These are some of the questions that the conference aims to explore and discuss.
Site operators, museum and education professionals, civil society initiatives and researchers are cordially invited to submit proposals for presentations on this year's conference theme. The focus should be on how intangible industrial culture can gain greater visibility and thus increase the appeal of industrial heritage. In addition, the presentations should provide answers to how local groups, volunteers or external partners can be involved and activated, and what this could potentially mean for other sites.
Call for Papers (pdf download)
Submissions (max. 2,000 characters) should be sent to conference(at)erih.net by 15 July 2025 at the latest. The ERIH board will decide by the end of July.