Join us for the next edition of the Engagement with the past, activism in the present conference series.

 This year we want to focus on how to educate historians and archivists at universities, so that when they have finished their education they will be, according to the conference's title, 'engaged with the past and active in the present'. Like the previous edition, the conference focuses in particular on networking between representatives of the YUFE consortium and Ukrainian university partners.

During the conference, we want to address issues such as:

The shape of university programs in history and archival science - how can they prepare students for the challenges of the changing world?

Cooperation with the external environment (e.g., heritage and cultural institutions, schools, the non-governmental sector) both in terms of creating study programs and their implementation and monitoring (the role of external stakeholders)

Modern studies in history and archival science - questions about the silhouette of the graduate. Who do we really educate? What is the profile of our alumni? What knowledge, skills, and attitudes should they have?

How to introduce knowledge of contemporary events and crises (social, political, climatic) into education in the context of teaching history and archival science?

How to teach about difficult topics, conflicting pasts, and multiple historical narratives?

What is the social role of historians and archivists in the modern world? How do you prepare our students for these diverse roles?

How has the COVID pandemic affected university teaching?

What educational strategies, methods, and techniques should we use today (this includes issues such as internships and practicum, tutoring, e-learning, and engaging students in research)?

What challenges and opportunities are doctoral students currently facing in the disciplines of history and archival science?

What are the opportunities and challenges for the internationalization of history and archival science education (e.g., through European universities and the Erasmus+ program)?

During the conference, we plan both traditional presentation sessions (20 mins each), as well as panel discussions. We also plan to organise a poster session for students and PhD students. 

We encourage submissions of both more general (or theoretical) texts, as well as very specific case studies based on teachers' and students' own experiences.

We plan to accept submissions from both experienced and young researchers, as well as students of all degrees. It is important to see a variety of perspectives and to pluralise the discussion.

Conference submissions can be either active (as a presenter - with a paper/participation in a panel discussion/poster) or passive (as an audience). Both of these forms of participation can be financed by project funds. Yet, due to a limited number of grants, we prefer the active form.

Each participant who receives a travel grant will be paid 4000 PLN (approx. 940 EUR) upon arrival in Toruń, to cover travel and accommodation costs. We do not require any financial documentation (tickets, invoices, etc.). 

Please send proposals to afect@umk.pl by the end of May 2024. The proposal should include the following information: name, affiliation, title of the presentation, and abstract (about half a page). Please, indicate if you want to present during a regular session or the poster session.

The language of the conference is English.

If you have any questions, please contact us via e-mail: afect@umk.pl.

Organising Committee

Dr. Magdalena Wiśniewska-Drewniak

Dr. Alicja Bartnicka