The ways in which Europe remembers its past are central to shaping its future. From the memory of the Holocaust and the Second World War to the legacies of colonialism, dictatorship, and conflict, the continent’s history remains a site of both reconciliation and contestation. This conference invites scholars to explore the role of cultural memory in shaping European identities, values, and policies. How are memories transmitted across generations? How do different national narratives interact, clash, or converge within a shared European framework? What national and transnational memory cultures are created?

We particularly encourage contributions to explore how memories cross national and generational boundaries, shaping and problematizing collective European remembrance. In an era of migration, globalization, and digital transformation, memory is no longer confined to national borders; instead, it circulates through film, literature, museums, and new media, influencing contemporary debates on democracy, human rights, and European solidarity. Additionally, the conference seeks to highlight intergenerational transmission of memory—how experiences of trauma, displacement, and resistance are passed down, reinterpreted, or forgotten by younger generations. As survivor testimony gives way to second- and third-generation narratives, new forms of remembrance emerge, raising questions about authenticity, responsibility, and ethical engagement with the past. 

We particularly welcome papers from disciplines such as history, cultural and literary studies, political science, sociology, and digital humanities.

Selected contributions will be published in a peer-reviewed edited collection.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to: 

- Memory, Postmemory and European identity 

- Sites and Spaces of Memory & Commemoration: Monuments, museums, and public memory 

- Memory Cultures & Cultural Memory: How European societies remember and forget 

- Transnational Memory Practices: Shared narratives across borders 

- Post-War Memory: Remembrance, trauma, and reconciliation 

- Holocaust memory and its contemporary relevance 

- Digital memory and new media representations 

- Memory & Politics: National identity, populism, and historical revisionism 

- Media & Memory: The role of film, literature, art and music

- History & Testimony: Personal narratives and transgenerational transmission 

- European / EU Policies and the preservation of memory

- Future challenges and directions

Submission Guidelines:

- Abstracts (250 words) for 20-minute papers should be submitted by 25 April 2025

- Include a brief bio (100 words) with your submission 

- Notifications of acceptance will be sent by 19 May 2025

Contact & Submission:

Please send abstracts and enquiries to ceuros.ul@gmail.com

Conference Organisers:

Assistant Professor Dr Anita Barmettler (Anita.Barmettler@ul.ie )

Associate Professor Dr. Michaela Schrage-Frueh (Michaela.SchrageFrueh@ul.ie )