Call for Papers: Rethinking University Museums

The University Museum and Collections (UMAC) international committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the University of Santo Tomas (UST), Manila, the Philippines, represented by the UST Museum, in cooperation with the Philippines National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), will hold the 15th Annual Conference of UMAC in Manila, on 11-14 May 2015. The conference theme is "Rethinking University Museums: Bridging Theory and Practice". The event aims to encourage discussion on the role of the university museum amidst evolving trends and persistent challenges. The goal of rethinking involves examining the place of the university museum within a larger network of relations and issues. The subthemes span the reexamination of the museum’s mandate and expanding its outreach beyond the academia, to exploring new paradigms and shifting practices in order to address urgent issues such as the increasingly apparent effects of climate change. The goal of the conference is to create a platform where interdisciplinary theories drawn from the disciplines of Museum Studies, Cultural and Heritage Studies, Tourism Studies, Art Studies, Anthropology, and Conservation Science could be expanded based on practical experience or various case studies offered by international colleagues. "Rethinking University Museums" hopes to flesh out critical perspectives and innovative approaches in affirming the significance of university museums today. UMAC invites papers addressing the following themes: 1. Towards Responsive Museums: Examining the Role of Museums in Education and Public Formation 2. Greening the Museum and the Environs: Challenges in Preservation and Conservation of Cultural Property 3. Role of University Museums in Cultural Tourism: Enhancing Tourism through Museum Experience A wide range of subthemes have also been identified, as described in the full call for papers. Abstracts should be sent by 10 February 2015. For additional information and contacts, please refer to this document and the event's Facebook profile.