European Travel Routes in GLAM, Digital Humanities and Archival Documents

Call for Papers: ICARUS Convention #33: European Travel Routes

Date: 16-18 October 2024
Venue: Royal Palace of Portici, Naples, Italy
Participation: free of charge, registration tba
Languages: English and Italian
Deadline for submission of papers: 17 July 2024

The autumn Convention of our member ICARUS – International Centre for Archival Research will be held at the Royal Palace of Portici in Naples, Italy, home of the MUSA Center of the University of Naples Federico II, and supported by the Department of Humanities and ICARUS Italia. The Convention will act as a hub for exchange of scientific and artistic experiences in collaboration with local communities, thus encouraging discussion and interaction. It will be structured in parallel and plenary sessions, offering a variety of formats from lectures to workshops, round tables, etc. to set the ground for new partnerships and collaborations, developing hypotheses and planning new projects.

Conference Topic

The central theme of the Convention will focus on exploring how GLAM institutions (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) in Europe can be instrumental in developing the topic of TRAVEL, with particular attention to archival materials related to this phenomenon in digital form or yet to be digitised.

The theme of travel is understood as a basis for cultural dialogue and for the creation of thematic itineraries, both touristic and cultural, connecting physical places and historical periods, both past and contemporary. Travel is thus viewed as experiential knowledge, capable of connecting apparently distant places and people and of traversing time, space and borders to become the collective cultural heritage of various peoples.

The Convention provides a stimulus to tell the story of European and non-European cultural heritage from a new perspective, emphasizing the fact that, despite political and religious differences, many peoples share(d) interconnected routes for trade and travel which can be retraced by Digital Humanities. Therefore, the connection between old travel documents (diaries, travelogs, maps and images) and contemporary cultural and creative experiences becomes fundamental and the places described in the past become a source of inspiration for current artistic productions. In this regard, the contribution of participants in other Creative Europe projects (i.e. E-Routes) will be important in order to enrich the debate and exchange on these issues.

A journey through time that can also be explored through the lense of other projects carried out by the ICARUS community (Monasterium, Matricula and Topotheque) as well as through themes that overlap with those of TMO, Europeana, Archives Portal Europe and other initiatives exploring Europe’s cultural heritage.

Call for Papers

The Convention will offer different presentation formats – you are most welcome to submit proposals for presentations/lectures or workshops/exchange-cooperation tables (round table, open discussion) on the topic of travel. Please send an email to Antonello Migliozzi (antonello.migliozzi@unina.it) and Marco Marotta (marco.marotta7@gmail.com), CC please to Antonella Ambrosio (antonella.ambrosio@unina.it) and Maria Rosaria Falcone (mariarosaria.falcone@gmail.com).

Regarding timing, keep in mind that presentations/lectures will last a maximum of 20 minutes, including questions and possible discussion. The workshop/exchange-cooperation tables will have a maximum duration of 60 minutes.

Presentations may be held in English and Italian.

The deadline for the submission of proposals is 17 July 2024.

Proposed Sessions

The organisers have identified some points with some keywords that could be discussed during the paper sessions:

Travel as Cultural Dialogue and GLAM Heritage

  • Development of thematic itineraries within galleries, libraries, archives, and museums based on travel-related materials.
  • Travel as a tool for experiential knowledge and inspiration for the production and creation of documents and artistic artifacts.
  • Travel-related materials as a means to promote cultural dialogue among different communities and cultures.

Collaborative Experiences between GLAM, Universities, and the General Public

  • Research and enhancement of travel-related materials.
  • Innovative strategies for the digitization and dissemination of travel materials, fostering broader and more inclusive access.

Archive Materials and the Theme of Travel

  • The archives and museums and travel-related materials.
  • Systems and standards used to describe and catalog these materials, ensuring they are easily searchable and accessible.
  • Communication and accessibility of travel-related materials: techniques and strategies.

The ICARUS Community and its Partners

  • ICARUS Community Projects and Initiatives.
  • Monasterium, Matricula, and Topotheque.
  • Time Machine Organisation.
  • Creative Europe Project, E-Routes.

Keywords: Accessibility, Interoperability, Sustainability, Collaboration, Innovation, Quality, Inclusivity, Education and Training, Rights and Licenses, Community and Participation, GLAM, Travelogue.