Date: 7-8 October 2026 | Location: Tirana, Albania
The Institute for the Study of Communist Crimes and Consequences in Albania (ISKK), in collaboration with the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile (IICCMER), is pleased to announce a call for papers for the international scientific conference entitled “Material Heritage, Generations, and Collective Memory.”
This conference aims to convene scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds to critically examine the role of the material legacy of the communist period—still embedded in contemporary public spaces—in shaping collective memory and influencing the perceptions of younger generations regarding the dictatorial past.
Key Themes
- Intergenerational perceptions of communist heritage
- Historical education through material objects and spatial environments
- Material culture as a medium for social dialogue on the past
Aims and Objectives
The conference seeks to:
- Analyze the ways in which communist heritage is perceived and interpreted by younger generations
- Provide a comparative framework for examining practices related to the management of communist material heritage across Eastern Europe and beyond
- Explore the role of material culture as a critical instrument in the construction of collective memory and reflection on the past
- Foster inclusive and critical social dialogue on the legacy of communism
Conference Format
The conference will consist of:
- Thematic Sessions, each addressing specific dimensions of communist material heritage
- Paper Presentations and Panel Discussions, featuring individual presentations (15 minutes each) followed by moderated roundtable discussions
- Networking Opportunities, including coffee breaks and receptions designed to facilitate scholarly exchange
Confirmed Session Topics
- Heritage and Power
This session will explore the relationship between heritage and political authority, including the use of heritage as a means of legitimizing power, the control of historical narratives and collective memory, the politicization of heritage, and conflicts over its interpretation, ownership, and representation.
- Monuments, Memorials, Spaces, and Memory
Focus will be placed on socialist realist monuments, practices of removal, relocation, and reinterpretation, as well as the memorialization of dictatorship and its victims.
- Musealization of Communism and Heritage Policies
This session will address museums dedicated to communism and dictatorship, examining their models and challenges, the tension between official and alternative narratives, and the ethical considerations involved in exhibiting repressive pasts.
- Communist Heritage and Transitional Justice
Topics include the role of objects as evidentiary material in processes of reckoning with the past, the relationship between materiality and historical accountability, the function of memory spaces in fostering reconciliation, and the broader question of whether heritage can contribute to societal healing.
- Communist Heritage in Comparative Perspective
This session will examine diverse approaches to managing communist heritage in Eastern Europe, including musealization, neglect, and adaptive reuse, as well as the transferability of memory policies and the potential existence of a “post-communist” heritage model.
- The Future of Communist Heritage
Discussions will address emerging strategies for preservation and interpretation, the engagement of younger generations, and the future of the communist heritage in the 21st century.
Call for Papers
The organizers invite the submission of abstracts (maximum 300 words) accompanied by a brief curriculum vitae from scholars working in history, political science, sociology, cultural studies, law, and related disciplines. Submissions are expected to present original research, comparative analyses, or innovative theoretical contributions concerning the material heritage of communism and historical memory.
Abstract deadline: 15 June 2026
Send to: info@iskk.gov.al and office@iiccmer.ro
Selected contributions will be considered for publication in a peer-reviewed, co-edited volume intended to serve as a significant scholarly reference on totalitarian regimes.
The organizers look forward to receiving submissions and to fostering a rigorous academic exchange that advances our understanding of the functioning of totalitarian systems and the factors contributing to their eventual disintegration.