Communities, commemoration, collaboration: shaping our futures through sharing our pasts

Communities, commemoration, collaboration: shaping our futures through sharing our pasts is hosted by the Arts & Humanities Research Council World War One Engagement Centres.

The event in London on 7 November, the last of the Legacies of the First World War Festival series, will be dedicated to reflecting on public history and heritage and on demonstrating the value of heritage in bringing communities together. The event will showcase the capabilities of UK Universities as world leaders in public engagement research, particularly their role in place-making and connecting local and global knowledge. In responding to divisive and uncomfortable pasts, university-community partnerships can empower diverse communities to tell their own stories of presence, belonging and contribution.

At the event we will share outputs and learnings from the WW1 Engagement Centres who have supported a wide range of community engagement activities across the UK since 2014, connecting academic and public histories of the First World War as part of the commemoration of the War’s centenary. The event also intends to provide a forum for further discussion on the recently published DCMS report on ‘Lessons from the First World War Centenary’ which references the Centres.

The event will enable participants and attendees to better understand the challenges and opportunities of collaborative work around history, heritage and commemoration. A series of panel discussions, workshops, film screenings and performances will provide an informal and friendly forum for stimulating conversations around co-produced knowledge and critical responses to history and heritage.

We welcome community organisers, heritage and creative workers, academics, local historians, and members of the public.

Bursaries are available to enable community participants to attend. If you have previously had contact with an Engagement Centre then get in touch with them in the first instance. Alternatively contact the event organiser for more information.

Please visit the Eventbrite link to register for your free place. Registration for the event closes at midday on 31 October.