CALL FOR PAPERS
CALL FOR PAPERS
The 7th Biennial Conference of the Association of Critical Heritage Studies (ACHS) will be held at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington in Aotearoa New Zealand in November-December 2026. The inaugural manifesto of the ACHS called for the promotion of critical interventions in heritage while questioning the cultural and economic power
relations that underpin traditional understandings of heritage. The next conference will foreground an indigenous approach from te ao Māori (the Māori world) and the multiplicity of perspectives from different ethnic communities of Aotearoa and the wider Moana Oceania (Pacific Ocean). This is reflected in the way the conference will run, with a pōwhiri (welcome ceremony), extensive input from mana whenua (local people of the land), and opportunities to experience Māori culture and heritage. The whakatauaki – Whatua mai te aho, whiria kia tina – will guide our mahi before, during and after the conference. Its literal meaning – ‘Weave the thread across, bind, hold fast’ – alludes to the idea of coming together to unify or strengthen. While this is our framework, we of course recognise the diversity of heritage globally and welcome everyone from everywhere with their different experiences of heritage.
The conference theme is Tūhono - weaving relational heritage spaces. In the Māori language, Tūhono means to connect. At this conference we will explore how heritage connects people with each other, with the past and with the land, holding them 'in relationship'; and how, as a field, we can connect theory and practice and dualistic conceptions of heritage (tangible and intangible, natural and cultural) to create a more relational critical heritage studies. This idea of connections and relationality speaks to the most pressing challenges facing humanity today; namely, creating and maintaining harmonious relations between people, and between people and the natural world. It highlights interdependency and the need for ethical relationships. Our dialogue will be informed by indigenous concepts and practices – such as the integral relations between time/space and nature/culture – that open up creative ways of thinking about heritage and its relationship to wider social, political and environmental issues.
The ACHS 2026 conference committee has identified a series of sub-themes which will represent distinct threads through the conference, and session organisers and paper proposers are asked to select ONE of the following sub-themes when they submit their proposals:
1. Heritage connecting people/Te taura here tangata. Including:
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Heritage and identity
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Heritage and social cohesion
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Heritage, peace and equity
2. Heritage connecting people and the environment/Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua. Including:
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Heritage and climate change
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Heritage and sustainability
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New practices in protected area management
3. Heritage connecting people with the past, present and future/Ki mua, ki muri. Including:
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Heritage, conflict and reconciliation
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Heritage and sustainable futures
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Historic heritage and heritage futures
Within these broad themes we are interested in other, intersecting sub-themes including:
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Climate action
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Decolonisation and indigenisation
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Repatriation and restitution
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The future of critical heritage studies
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Newly emerging concepts, themes and methods for the study of heritage
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Connecting heritage practice and theory
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The future of heritage management
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Heritage policy and practice
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Evolving and nascent forms of heritage
These themes are overlapping and interconnected and participants can engage with them in varying ways. It is assumed that ‘heritage’ includes objects, people, places and practices, and cultural/natural/intangible heritage, as well as GLAMs and heritage organisations of different kinds. To facilitate this engagement with diverse forms of heritage we encourage proposals that foreground threads of related sessions across and within themes that apply particular lenses, as suggested by participants, e.g. practice, indigeneity, local, international etc.
Guidelines for submissions:
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Submissions must be written in either English or te reo Māori.
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Online submission is the only method of abstract submission.
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Abstracts submitted for presentation will be published exactly as received and should be checked for spelling and grammar prior to submission.
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It is the responsibility of the presenter / author to ensure that the abstract is submitted correctly.
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Abstracts must be submitted in the template format provided.
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Where there is more than one presenter all correspondence will be sent to the person who submitted the abstract.
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Every effort will be made to accommodate the presenter / author presentation preference however the conference committee reserves the right to allocate the presentation to best suit the program.
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The invitation to submit an abstract does not constitute an offer to pay travel, accommodation or registration costs associated with the Conference. Similarly, no presenter fee is paid to successful presenters.
Limits on roles: An individual may not make more than one substantive contribution to the conference programme (paper presenter, panel member, discussant etc.). However, there are no limits to how many sessions you may organise (i.e. the role of session organiser does not count towards the limit of one substantive contribution). It is up to individuals to ensure they are mindful of these limits when submitting proposals for review.
Programme formats:
Individual papers: these are 15mins stand-alone papers which will be curated into sessions within the conference programme by the committee. Sessions will include time for questions and discussion.
Curated sessions: these are 75mins sessions on a common theme made up of 4 speakers allowing 15mins each to present and 15mins total for questions and discussion. Proposers of curated sessions will need to upload the Curated Session Individual Abstracts Form along with their abstract submission for the overall session.
Curated streams: 2-4 curated sessions may be proposed to make up a stream of sessions on a common theme. Submissions for each session should be made separately.
Discussion-based sessions: these are 120min sessions designed to engage attendees in discussion on topical issues relating to the conference themes, e.g. a roundtable, panel discussion or other proposed format. Proposers must provide the names and a short bio for each participant and be clear about how they will make these sessions interactive and engaging. Because of the time allocated to these sessions, it is envisaged that they will be of broad interest to conference attendees and closely aligned with the conference themes.
Interactive/multi-media sessions: these are 90min sessions which may take a variety of flexible forms; workshops, performances, demonstrations, screenings, tours and walks, hands-on/participatory activities, etc. Submissions for these sessions may take the form of a more general proposal and/or be arranged directly with/by the conference organising committee.
We strongly encourage contributors to engage with the conference themes and goals of ACHS. Priority will be given to submissions that align with the themes.
Timeline:
CFP opens Nov 10, 2025
CFP closes Feb 10, 2026
CFP outcomes notified April 30, 2026
Registration opens May 2026
Conference Nov 29 - Dec 2, 2026
All proposals for individual papers, curated sessions/streams and discussion-based sessions will be double peer reviewed by members of the conference scientific committee. Those who submit a proposal for an individual paper, curated session, or discussion-based session for the conference programme will be contacted at the end of April 2026 to confirm whether their contribution had been accepted. Proposals for the interactive/multi-media sessions will be processed by the academic programming sub-committee.
Submissions should include a summary abstract including the presentation/session topic; the objectives in relation to the relevant submission format; and the relationship to the conference themes/goals of ACHS. A full abstract of 300 words will also be required, along with a short bio for each individual author/presenter or discussant including the submitter - max 50 words each.