CALL FOR PAPERS – ‘Doctrinal’ Texts in an Age of Living Heritage: What/Who are They For, and Do We Still Need Them?
The International Scientific Committee on Theory and Philosophy of Conservation and Restoration (TheoPhilos) will hold a session as part of GA2026 in Kuching, Malaysia on the theme of ‘Doctrinal’ Texts in an Age of Living Heritage. 2026 also marks the 20th anniversary of the very first TheoPhilos meeting in Krakow in May 2006.
Responding to the ongoing Review of the Doctrinal Text Adoption Process and the GA theme of Living Heritage, this session will discuss whether it is still feasible or desirable to attempt to develop universal principles for the conservation and care of historic places in an age when local communities and regional interests have an increasing say in conservation processes. It will discuss the case for (and against) continuing to produce such documents, and the practical experiences of attempting to do so. The session presentations will be in PechaKucha format (maximum 6m 40s and 20 slides), followed by discussion.
The conference will address the following themes:
- What is a ‘Doctrinal’ Text, and are they compatible with Living Heritage?
- What role, if any, should ‘Doctrinal’ Texts play in a Living Heritage context?
- How can we speak of universalism in a Living Heritage context?
- Personal (positive or negative) experience/examples of the use of ‘Doctrinal’ Texts in a Living Heritage context
The deadline for paper abstracts is Saturday 23 May 2026 – for detailed instructions, including the link for submission of abstracts, please refer to the downloadable CALL FOR PAPERS and (in French) APPEL POUR DES PAPIERS. Authors of papers will be informed of the reviewers’ decision within three weeks of the submission deadline.