SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUM

THEME

Revisiting the Venice Charter: Critical Perspectives and Contemporary Challenges

As ICOMOS celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the Venice Charter, it will also launch its new Triennial Scientific Plan, “Disaster and Conflict Resilient Heritage: Preparedness, Response and Recovery” at the Annual General Assembly in Ouro Preto, Brazil. The Venice Charter remains a founding historic document for ICOMOS, rooted in a specific context and shaped by the heritage concepts of its time. Sixty years later, practice and doctrine have evolved, new cultural conventions have been established and the scientific work and capacity of ICOMOS have fundamentally changed.

At the same time, the world is facing a major challenge posed by climate change, disasters, and conflicts, fueling major displacements of communities and challenging all of our structures. The primary focus of the Symposium will be a critical discussion on the Venice Charter considering the current state of discourse surrounding heritage and a cross-cutting approach between more recent conventions and the pragmatic needs of practice today.

The Symposium endeavors to comprehensively reassess the Venice Charter in a contemporary context, with a focus on five key sub-themes. It aims to explore the charter’s historical context, emphasizing its Eurocentric origins and diverse regional responses, advocating for a critical rereading that considers how heritage concepts and practice have evolved since 1964. Additionally, the symposium seeks to foster a cross-cutting approach between the Venice Charter and other international conventions, such as the Hague Convention of 1954, the World Heritage Convention of 1972, and the Nara Document on Authenticity of 1994, the Intangible Heritage Convention of 2003, and the Faro Convention of 2005.

It emphasizes the importance of reinterpreting the charter through diverse epistemologies, acknowledging cultural diversity, and considering contributions from the Global South. The discussions will critically examine the state of heritage discourse, evaluating the charter’s relevance to contemporary practice, including those posed by modern heritage, the rise of the metropolises, social inequities, disasters and environmental impact.

The discussion of the Venice Charter aligns seamlessly with the overarching theme of the ICOMOS Triennial Scientific Plan, “Disaster and Conflict Resilient Heritage: Preparedness, Response, and Recovery” that highlights the imperative to address contemporary challenges facing heritage, particularly in the context of disasters and conflicts. By critically revisiting the Venice Charter, we aim to bridge the historical document with present-day issues, emphasizing the need to adapt heritage conservation practices to the demands of the 21st century.

The selection of Ouro Preto as the venue for the Symposium holds strategic significance due to its historical character as a city shaped by the XVIII-century Brazilian gold rush. Being the first city in Brazil to be designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ouro Preto embodies a rich heritage that aligns with the overarching theme of the event. Furthermore, its proximity to a site profoundly affected by one of Brazil’s most significant environmental disasters offers a tangible and poignant backdrop for discussions on heritage resilience. This context reinforces the symposium’s objective to critically examine the Venice Charter and review its relevance in the contemporary discourse on heritage, authenticity, and resilience.

SUBTHEMES

1. Historical Context and Heritage Concepts An exploration of the historical context and conceptual foundations that shaped the Venice Charter, emphasizing its Eurocentric origins and the need for a critical rereading. 2. A Cross-Cutting Approach Between Conventions A discussion linking the Venice Charter with other international documents, notably the Hague Convention of 1954, the World Heritage Convention of 1972, the Nara Document on Authenticity of 1994, the Intangible Heritage Convention of 2003, and the Faro Convention of 2005, exploring intersections and shared principles to address contemporary challenges. 3. Universalism and diversity: Rereading the Doctrinal Documents from Diverse Perspectives A discussion on the importance of the Venice Charter (and other related doctrinal documents) through diverse epistemologies and perspectives, acknowledging the cultural diversity of heritage and exploring contributions from the Global South. 4. Contemporary Challenges in Heritage Discourse A critical examination of the state of the art in heritage discussions, considering the evolving perspectives and challenges that have emerged since the inception of the Venice Charter. Examining the relevance of the Venice Charter in the current context, with a focus on challenges posed by the Western divide between nature and culture, the growing importance of metropolises, social inequities, the environmental impact of human activities, disasters and conflicts, among others.
5. Disaster and Conflict Resilient Heritage Cultural heritage is increasingly vulnerable to disasters and conflicts and subject to rapid destruction, as evidenced by the recent fires, floods, earthquakes and escalating armed conflicts in different parts of the world. At the General Assembly 2023 in Sydney, ICOMOS Advisory Committee approved the theme of “Disaster and Conflict Resilient Heritage – Preparedness, Response and Recovery” as the theme for the Triennial Scientific Plan 2024-2027. In keeping with the spirit of open, innovative, constructive intergenerational dialogue, and the strategic focus, this sub-theme will address the suitability of the Venice Charter with the theme of disaster and conflict-resilient heritage, emphasizing its broader implications for heritage discourse, development models, and resilience strategies. By integrating these sub-themes into the Symposium, we aim to foster a comprehensive dialogue that not only critically reinterprets the Venice Charter but also explores its intersections with broader heritage discussions and contemporary challenges including the climate emergency, conflicts and natural disasters.

keynote speakers

G. Krishna
Menon
NEW DELHIIndia
A. G. Krishna Menon is an Architect, Urban Planner, Conservation professional, and Academic with five decades of experience in India. He co-founded the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in 1984, and drafted its Charter in 2004. In 1990, he established the TVB School of Habitat Studies in New Delhi, leading it until 2007, when it became part of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Throughout his career, he has advocated for context-specific strategies to develop indigenous modernity.
Laurajane
Smith
AUSTRALIA
Laurajane Smith is professor of Heritage and Museum Studies, and a fellow of the Society for the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. She has had a career long interest in the politics of heritage making. She is founder of the Association of Critical Heritage Studies and has been editor of the International Journal of Heritage Studies since 2009. She is co-general editor with Dr Gönül Bozoglu of Routledge’s Key Issues in Cultural Heritage. In 2018, she was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa for scientific merit, from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and in 2021 she was the recipient of the European Archaeology Association Heritage Prize.
George
Abungu
quênia
We're thrilled to announce that George Abungu, will be joining us as one of the keynote speakers of the 2024 ICOMOS International Symposium! George Abungu is a Cambridge-trained archaeologist and Emeritus Director General of the National Museums of Kenya. George has received ARCA's Lifetime Achievement Award in the Defense of Art. He is a Knight of the French Order of Arts and Letters and was the first African researcher to receive the African World Heritage Fund Award. He is Honorary Professor of Heritage and Museum Studies at the Australian National University (ANU).
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co-chair

Leonardo
barci castriota

scientific council

  • Ana Aparecida Barbosa Pereira
  • Camila Ferreira Guimarães
  • Celma De Nazaré Chaves De Souza Pont Vidal
  • Cristina Meneguello
  • Daniella Martins Costa
  • David Mason
  • Eduardo Romero De Oliveira
  • Fernanda Alves De Brito Bueno
  • Flávia Ferreira De Mattos
  • Flaviana Barreto Lira
  • Helder Magalhães Viana
  • Ignez Camila Filipino Da Silveira
  • Jaime Almansa-Sánchez
  • John Hughes
  • José Antonio Hoyuela Jayo
  • Juliana Cardoso Nery
  • Juliano Loureiro De Carvalho
  • Laura Beatriz Lage
  • Leonardo Barci Castriota
  • Livingston Okpakhalu
  • Lucia Hidaka
  • Manoela Rossinetti Rufinoni
  • Marcos Olender
  • Mariana Kimie Da Silva Nito
  • Marcela Laura Clot
  • Maria Bostenaru
  • María Isabel Sardón De Taboada
  • Mario Aymerich
  • Monica Bahia Schlee
  • Natalia Miranda Vieira-De-Araújo
  • Otair Fernandes De Oliveira
  • Pierre-François Toulze
  • Ravini Wimalasuriya
  • Rodrigo Espinha Baeta
  • Romeo Carabelli
  • Roseane Da Conceição Costa Norat
  • Sandra Schmitt Soster Idadã
  • Silvio Oksman
  • Stefano Gizzi
  • Vanessa Gayego Bello Figueiredo
  • Vincent Sedego
  • Zikui Xia

call for papers

The Symposium invites scholars, researchers, heritage professionals, and policymakers to contribute to this critical examination. Contributions, including research papers, case studies, and reflections, are sought to align with the Symposium’s objectives.

The Scientific Symposium Committee welcomes the submission of abstracts for the ICOMOS 2024 Annual General Assembly and Scientific Symposium (ICOMOS AGA2024) to be held at the Convention Centre, Ouro Preto, Brazil from 10 – 17 November 2024. The Scientific Symposium offers a major research, information sharing, training and capacity-building opportunity for delegates, who will be able to present and attend papers, seminars, workshops, site visits and other sessions.

horário do simpósio

em construção

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