The event will bring together institutions, social organizations, artists, and academics from 17 to 19 June to reflect on memory as a tool for social transformation.
The symposium is the result of collective work led by the University of Granada and the European Observatory on Memories of the University of Barcelona, and has been organised in collaboration with the Spain in Freedom. 50 Years Commemoration and the Navarre Institute of Memory.
Granada, June 12, 2026 — The University of Granada will host the 1st International Symposium on Participatory Memory, “Knowledge, Resistance and Co-creation of Futures,” from June 17 to 19. The event will bring together institutional representatives, social organizations, community projects, artists, and academics, mainly from Colombia and Spain.
The symposium will open on Wednesday, June 17, with the launch of the Museum of Living Memories, an international exhibition featuring more than 25 initiatives in community memory, artistic creation, and social research linked to the defense of territories, struggles for justice and dignity, and memory-based pedagogies.
The opening ceremony will include the participation of Colombia’s Vice Minister of Heritage, Memory and Cultural Governance, Saia Vergara; the Commissioner for the commemoration of the 50 years of Spain in freedom, Carmina Gustrán; the Vice-Rector for Outreach, Heritage and Institutional Relations at the University of Granada, Margarita Sánchez Romero; as well as José Miguel Gastón Aguas, Director of the Navarre Memory Institute, and Jordi Guixé, Director of the European Observatory on Memories (EUROM).
The symposium aims to reflect on the role of participatory memory in democratic development and social transformation, addressing both community-based experiences and the challenges of public policy in this field. One of its expected outcomes is the collective drafting of a decalogue of good practices in participatory memory.
The initiative is led by the European Observatory on Memories of the Solidarity Foundation at the University of Barcelona and researcher Andrea García González, within the framework of a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship 2026.
Prior to the opening ceremony, media representatives will be able to attend a guided tour of the exhibition and arrange interviews with artists, institutional representatives, participating organizations, and the organizing team.
The full programme is available for download at this link.
Media advisory
Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Venue: V Centenario Building, University of Granada (Avda. de Madrid, 11)
- 11:30 am — Guided press tour of the Museum of Living Memories (interviews available)
- 12:00 pm — Opening ceremony (hybrid format)
Streaming:
https://www.youtube.com/@euromemories
More information:
https://blogs.ugr.es/simposiomemoriasparticipa/
Press contact:
Andrea García González
[email protected]