𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗟𝗬: 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗘

We are calling for contributions to the  

𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗟𝗬: 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗘

Hybrid Conference | Bern Academy of the Arts (HKB)

December 3–4, 2026
Deadline: June 30, 2026

What if conservation is not primarily about preserving objects — but about sustaining relationships, stories, rituals, memories, and communities?

The first 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗹𝘆 invites scholars, artists, Indigenous custodians, conservators, activists, craftspeople, curators, community workers, and practitioners across disciplines to rethink conservation as a relational, pluricultural, and political practice.

We are especially interested in contributions that challenge dominant object-centered paradigms and the dominance of Western conservation's authenticism and scientism and explore how cultural continuity is maintained through care, renewal, transmission, repetition, performance, storytelling, and collective practice.

Topics may include:

• Community-led and Indigenous conservation practices

• Reenactment, renewal, and conservation through transformation

• Repatriation, decoloniality, and shared custodianship

• Embodied knowledge and intergenerational transmission

• Maintenance, care, and everyday conservation

• Conservation ontologies

• Natureculture and more-than-human heritage

• Digital communities, gaming, online archives, and networked stewardship

Formats include:

• 15–20 minute presentations

• Duet talks

• Storytelling and oral formats

• Audio-visual submissions

• “One-slide” interventions (5 min)

We strongly encourage submissions from non-academic practitioners and members of historically marginalized communities.

Submit a 300-word abstract + short bio (max. 200 words) or contact us for other modes of submission by 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟯𝟬, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 to:

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Selected contributions may be considered for publication.

To read the full call for papers, follow this link: https://centerforcriticalconservation.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/call-for-papers-conference-poster-1.pdf.

To learn about the project beyond the conference, visit https://centerforcriticalconservation.com/.