This scientific meeting aims to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue focused on Mediterranean heritage(ies), Euro-Mediterranean agendas and policies for their safeguarding and enhancement, as a way of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.

Presentation

The cradle of classical civilisations, the Mediterranean is the result of the cultural diversity of the different societies that have conquered, occupied, and transformed it. It is a space of dynamic borders, transit and exchange between cultures and religions, in constant change, development and transformation.

Furthermore, the Mediterranean is among the most significantly impacted regions globally due to climate change. Drought threatens the survival of animal and plant species and biodiversity. Demographic changes in Southern Europe are marked by migration, an ageing population, rural desertification, and the resulting demographic pressure, persisting inequalities and societal tensions in cities. Tourism pressure has irreversible impacts on cultural heritage. On the other hand, 75 percent of the UNESCO Cultural Heritage located in the Mediterranean basin is at risk of being submerged by rising sea levels. It is therefore urgent to prioritise the protection of the Mediterranean’s cultural heritage, redefine European action agendas and strengthen Euro-Mediterranean cooperation initiatives. These issues remain key concerns in the present EU agenda and in the wider discourse on EU policy. Moreover, European strategies and funding programmes have sought to promote sustainable tourism, integrated landscape management and adherence to the Mediterranean diet, based on the consumption of local products, recognised as more sustainable and classified as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.

This scientific meeting aims to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue focused on Mediterranean heritage(ies), Euro-Mediterranean agendas and policies for their safeguarding and enhancement, as a way of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.

The event is being held as part of the MEDHEUS project (Mediterranean Cultural Heritage in EU Policies), funded by the Jean Monnet Modules action of the Erasmus+ programme.

The call for papers for the International Conference "Europe and the changing Mediterranean: policies and research agendas for culture, heritage, and sustainability" to be held on November 28 and 29, 2024, at the University of Évora (Portugal) is now open.

Thematic topics:

– European policies for Culture, Cultural Heritage, and Sustainability

– New European research agendas for the Mediterranean region in the fields of culture, Heritage, and Sustainability

– The role of culture in the European integration project and relations with the Mediterranean

– European values, migration, multiculturalism, and cultural diversity

– Strategies, initiatives, and projects to safeguard cultural and natural heritage in the Mediterranean region (including Intangible Cultural Heritage)

– Digitalisation of cultural heritage and digital transformation of heritage institutions in the Euro-Mediterranean region

– The challenges of cultural landscapes in the Mediterranean

– Strategies and policies for sustainable development in the Mediterranean

– Societal challenges in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean

– Sustainable tourism in the Mediterranean region

– Institutions and initiatives for co-operation in the Mediterranean region

– Adaptation to climate and global change in the Mediterranean

– EU foreign policy in a changing Mediterranean

Proposals should be centred on or directly linked to issues of culture and cultural heritage (including intangible cultural heritage and museums), as well as focusing on the Euro-Mediterranean region.

Submission of proposals

Abstracts: The proposals must indicate the chosen topic of the Congress, title, and abstract (up to 500 words). Each proposal should present the theme and main argument, theoretical framework, methodologies, and main contributions.

Format: 12-point Times New Roman font, single-spaced.

Proposals should be submitted HERE. Fill in and upload the abstract using this TEMPLATE.

Deadline for submissions: 30 April 2024

Languages for submission and presentation of papers: English and Portuguese (the congress does not offer simultaneous translation service).

Publication: After the conference, authors will be invited to submit an article for publication in a peer-reviewed e-book to be published by the University of Évora.

The conference does not require any registration fee.

All information available here:https://www.medheus.uevora.pt/index.php/international-conference/

Scientific committee

• Ana Carvalho (Universidade de Évora, CIDEHUS)
• Antónia Fialho Conde (Universidade de Évora, Departamento de História, CIDEHUS)
• Armando Quintas (Universidade de Évora, CIDEHUS, CECHAP)
• Áurea Rodriges (Universidade de Évora, Departamento de Sociologia, CIDEHUS)
• Carlos Manuel Faísca (Universidade de Coimbra, CEIS20)
• Elsa Lamy (Universidade de Évora, MED & CHANGE)
• Evanthia Balla (Universidade de Évora, Departamento de Economia)
• Filipe Themudo Barata (Universidade de Évora)
• Irene Viparelli (Universidade de Évora, Departamento de Economia, CICP)
• João Rocha (Universidade de Évora, Departamento de Arquitetura, CIDEHUS)
• Maria Rosário Borges (Universidade de Évora, Departamento de Sociologia, CIDEHUS)
• Maria Filomena Gonçalves (Universidade de Évora, CIDEHUS, Cátedra UNESCO em Património Cultural Imaterial)
• Maria da Luz Sampaio (Universidade de Évora, CIDEHUS)
• Silvério Rocha e Cunha (Universidade de Évora, Departamento de Economia, CICP)
• Sheila Palomares Alarcón (Universidad de Jaén & CIDEHUS)
• Sónia Bombico (Universidade de Évora, CIDEHUS & MED)
• Susana Filipe (Universidade de Évora, MED & CHANGE)
• Teresa Pinto Correia (Universidade de Évora, Departamento de Paisagem, Ambiente e Ordenamento, MED & CHANGE)