Placeless Memories Conference

The institute for the Public Understanding of the Past https://www.york.ac.uk/ipup/ has organised a unique conference to open up discussion on the nature of memory and identity construction online and in digital formats, and explore issues concerning the use of these digital memories as a resource for scholars.  Taking place at the University of York, the conference will be led by visiting speaker Andrew Hoskins http://www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/socialsciences/ourstaff/andrewhoskins/#/researchinterests

This one-day conference aims to open up discussion on the nature of memory and identity construction online and in digital formats, and explores issues concerning the use of these digital memories as a resource for scholars.

The Internet is becoming an everyday space where identities and memories are not only stored, but also shaped and negotiated.  User-generated content from websites and social media is often considered in opposition to authorised or official forms of knowledge.  Dismissed as frivolous, unmediated and spontaneous there is however growing interest in how user-generated content might be used in conjunction with traditional forms of knowledge.

Our challenge is to consider the Internet not just as a tool for preserving histories but as an emergent space where diverse memories and identities are actively shaped, contested and negotiated.

The conference is free to attend but please sign up via ‌

Further details of the conference programme can be found here Placeless Memories Conference Details (PDF , 77kb)