The I Symposium on Participatory Memories brings together researchers, artists, community leaders, activists, and public institutions to reflect on how memory can be collectively constructed from the ground up. At a time when the past is increasingly subject to political instrumentalisation, the symposium proposes reclaiming memory as a living, transformative, and community-based practice.
Focusing particularly on experiences from Colombia and Spain, the event explores memory as a situated form of knowledge rooted in bodies, territories, and the relationships that sustain them. Participation is understood as an ethical commitment: building memory with communities rather than about them. Through dialogue, imagination, and collective action, the symposium highlights participatory methodologies that foster symbolic reparation, social justice, and democratic engagement.
Organised by the University of Granada, the Observatory of European Memories (EUROM) of the University of Barcelona, the Navarre Memory Institute, the “Spain in Freedom” Commissioner of the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, and the University Institute for Women’s and Gender Studies, the symposium is co-financed by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme of the European Commission.
The programme combines public activities with invitation-based working sessions, including methodological workshops, creative laboratories, and collective discussions. Artistic and community-based exhibitions will remain open throughout the event, offering alternative spaces for exchange beyond traditional academic formats. These initiatives showcase participatory memory practices from diverse contexts, including Portugal, Belgium, Cuba, and the border region between Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
By fostering dialogue between academia, communities, cultural organisations, and policymakers, the symposium aims to strengthen transnational networks, promote co-creation and community autonomy, and contribute to inclusive public policies on memory. Ultimately, the event seeks to consolidate a sustained international collaboration dedicated to advancing participatory memory practices over time.
Organising Committee
Andrea García González, University of Granada (UGR), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow
Jordi Guixé, EUROM, University of Barcelona (UB)
Carmina Gustrán Loscos, Commissioner of “50 Years of Spain in Freedom”
José Miguel Gastón Aguas, Navarre Memory Institute
Carla Alba Pulido, UGR
Vanesa Garbero, EUROM, National University of Córdoba and CONICET, Argentina
Diana Castelblanco, Jorge Tadeo Lozano University, Colombia
Marian del Moral, UGR
Sorany Marin, University of Magdalena, Colombia
Anna Pastor, EUROM, UB
Carmen Gregorio Gil, UGR
Victoria Robles, UGR
Ascensión Mazuela, UGR
Natalia Luc, UGR
Antonio Ortega, UGR
Enrique Tudela, UGR
Jesús Rodríguez Huertas, UGR
Miguel Ángel del Arco, UGR
David González, EUROM, UB
Astrid Jamar, University of Antwerp, Belgium
Andrés Góngora, National University of Colombia and National Museum of Colombia
Daniela Güiza, Vice Ministry of Heritage, Memories and Cultural Governance, Colombia
Alejandro Castillejo, University of the Andes, Colombia
José Fernando Serrano, University of the Andes, Colombia
Lidia Mateo, National University of Distance Education (UNED)
Mónica Alonso, UNED
Adolfo Baltar, Technological University of Bolívar, Cartagena, Colombia
Olatz Dañobeitia, University of the Basque Country
Iñaki Sagardoi, Public University of Navarre
Dario Ranocchiari, UGR
Kitti Baracsi, Centre for Research in Anthropology (CRIA), Lisbon
Survey
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- Reference of the Project: 101236354
- Type of activity: Mutual Learning
- Title: I Symposium on Participatory Memories
- Date: June 16-19, 2026
- 3 days
- Physical event
- Granada, Spain