Mediterranean heritage: communities, alliances, common horizons
Perspectives in the Adriatic and Ionian macro-region
Bari, April 17-19, 2026
Teatro Kursaal Santalucia and Museo Archeologico di Santa Scolastica
An event by: ICOM Italy, Coordinamento Regionale Puglia, Puglia Region, Municipality of Bari, Metropolitan City of Bari, Puglia Promozione, Puglia Culture, Poli Biblio-Museali di Puglia
«What is the Mediterranean? A thousand things at once. Not a landscape but countless landscapes. Not a sea but a succession of seas. Not a civilization but a series of civilizations stacked one upon another. […] For the Mediterranean is an ancient crossroads. For thousands of years everything has flowed into it, complicating and enriching its history.»
Fernand Braudel, The Mediterranean: The Sea and the Civilizations, 1985
The conference aims to place at the centre the role of museums in shaping participatory narratives of the cultural heritage of the Mediterranean, with particular focus on the Adriatic–Ionian area. In a region characterized by profound historical stratifications and a long tradition of exchange, cultural heritage emerges as a powerful means of communication between the local dimension of diverse communities and a shared universal perspective, between historical memory and the construction of a common future.
Through dialogue among museums of different types and governance models, archaeological parks, territorial institutions, and interdisciplinary professionals, the conference explores the theme of museum narratives which, through processes of selection, interpretation, and representation, contribute to shaping collective imaginaries, strengthening ties with communities, and promoting forms of institutional and transnational cooperation and alliance. The Mediterranean thus emerges not only as a geographical space, but as a cultural and epistemological field in which the heritage narrated in museums is the result of conscious choices and participatory practices involving local communities from different contexts, yet connected by shared affinities and mutual influences. Ten years after the ICOM General Conference in Milan, the aim is to renew momentum around the theme of “Cultural Landscapes” in relation to museums and cultural sites.
Within this framework, museums are understood as fundamental spaces of cultural mediation and meaning-making, capable of activating plural narratives, fostering dialogue between past and present, between territories and diverse audiences, and promoting opportunities for exchange and encounter among different cultures. In this way, they strengthen mutual understanding and contribute to reflection on the future of shared heritage, in relation to the challenges of sustainability, safeguarding, and the transmission of common values.
DISCOVER THE LOCATIONS OF THE EVENT
Teatro Kursaal Santalucia Museo archeologico di Santa Scolastica Sala Zonno, venue of the social dinner Bari Vecchia Basilica di San Nicola Palazzo dell’Acqua Parco archeologico di Egnazia
CALL FOR POSTERS (ENDED)
The Conference approaches the Mediterranean not only as a geographical space, but as a cultural and epistemological field in which the heritage narrated in museums is the result of conscious choices and participatory practices involving local communities from different contexts, yet connected by shared affinities and mutual influences.
The Call for Posters aims to open the Conference to the many positive experiences in this field, with particular reference to the following sub-themes:
- The power of narratives
- Transnational projects and cooperation
- Which Mediterranean do museums present today, and from what perspective?
- Caring for heritage with communities: examples of public–private management
Abstracts of the posters (maximum 500 words and up to 3 pictures) must be sent to comunicazione@icom-italia.org by April 1st, 2026 at 16:00 hrs CET, using the provided template (download the template). Posters will be selected by the Scientific Committee, based on their relevance to the proposed themes.
A decision regarding the submitted posters will be communicated to the authors by April 9th, 2026, together with the editorial guidelines or the template for the final drafting.
Selected posters will be presented at a preset location, and the abstracts will be published in the Proceedings of the Conference.
Limitations: Authors may submit one poster submission as a main author.
Official language for the proposals is English.
