Welcome to the AIMS project

THE
CONFERENCE

Dynamics, Mediation, Mobilization – Future Directions in Memory Studies

Accommodation and Travel

The conference will take place at Nottingham Trent University, City Campus –
Newton Building, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham, NG1 4BU.
A campus map is available here: City Campus Map

Getting to the Conference Venue
The conference venue is at the heart of Nottingham city centre and is easy to get to via public transport.

Train / Tram / Bus
Trains to the city arrive at Nottingham Railway Station. For train times see National Rail. You can easily get tickets at https://www.thetrainline.com/ or via the Trainline app. Booking a specific train well in advance is usually much cheaper than booking on short notice or booking an open return ticket.

Nottingham Station is a short walk (approx. 20 minutes) from the conference venue. Alternatively, you can get the tram to the NTU campus – follow the signs from your platform, and head north on the Phoenix Park or Hucknall lines. Get off at the Nottingham Trent University tram stop, which is close to the Newton Building.

Prices: see the NET site (www.thetram.net). Frequency: Trams leave from Nottingham Station every 7-10 minutes.

Travel by train from continental Europe to Nottingham is quite smooth, but of course takes a while. The Eurostar arrives at London St. Pancras Station, which is where trains to Nottingham (East Midlands Rail) leave. Please keep in mind that Eurostar recommends checking in at least 1 hour before your scheduled departure. It takes about 20-30 minutes to exit the Eurostar terminal, so book an onwards train that departs at least 30 minutes after your arrival in London.

If you want to travel by bus (including National Express), Nottingham’s main bus station is very near the train station (Broad Marsh, Colin Street, Nottingham, NG1 7LS) and from there you can walk to the university or get the tram (either from the train station or Market Square). You can also get a Flixbus from many locations and this will drop you at Greyfriar Gate (Stop C11-C12, NG1 7EG).
Airport

The nearest airport is East Midlands Airport , which is about 12 miles away from the campus. The easiest way to travel from East Midlands Airport to the city centre is by taxi/ Uber. The Skylink bus connects between the city centre and East Midlands Airport.

Other airports with transport links to Nottingham include Birmingham Airport, Manchester Airport, and airports in London.

Car parking
There is no visitor car parking at the university campus. There is a park and ride scheme run by the local council. From one of the following sites, you should board any tram serving Toton Lane or Clifton South and alight at the Nottingham Trent University stop:

The Forest (NG7 6AQ) – journey time: approximately 5 minutes.

Wilkinson Street (NG7 7NW) – journey time: approximately 10 minutes.

Phoenix Park (NG8 6AS) – journey time: approximately 20 minutes.

You need to buy a ticket before you board the tram. For more information about the tram park and ride see: https://www.thetram.net/park-and-ride

Discounted parking is available to conference delegates at Q-Park Talbot Street, Stanley Place, Nottingham, NG1 5GG. A unique code will be available for delegates and you will need to prebook your parking, using the link above. You will be asked to input your vehicle registration number and, when you arrive at the car park, the barrier should automatically open. You can enter and exit as many times as you like within the prebook period without the need for any tickets. Please note you MUST pre-book in advance to receive the discount.

Accommodation
There are a wide range of accommodation options available nearby the conference venue. The nearest hotel is Premier Inn Nottingham City Centre (Goldsmith Street)
A range of accommodation options to suit different budgets can be found at the local tourist information website. Go to https://www.visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk/stay/hotels/hotels-in-nottingham-city-centre
A very nice independent hotel is the Lacemarket Hotel. This is about a 10 minute walk from our conference venue.
Nottingham city centre is compact and it is easy to reach the conference venue and conference dinner venue on foot from most city centre hotel locations.

Conference Dinner
The conference dinner will be held on Thursday evening, 5 June, at 7 pm at Nottingham’s Cosy Club, 16-18 Victoria Street, Nottingham, NG1 2EX.
A three-course-meal (sharing starters, main, and dessert) is included in the conference fee. Drinks to be purchased separately. Pre-ordering will be essential and we will send a form for this closer to the time of the conference. The restaurant is a 10-minute walk from the conference venue.

Sights in Nottingham and the surrounding area

1. Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery

Nottingham Castle is central to the city’s history, offering exhibitions on Nottingham’s past, including the legend of Robin Hood (of whom there is a statue that is perfect for selfies). The exhibitions explore Nottingham’s rebellious history, as well as its textile and artistic heritage.
📍 Getting there: Within walking distance from Nottingham city centre.

Website: https://www.nottinghamcastle.org.uk/

2. National Justice Museum

Housed in a historic courthouse and jail, this museum examines the history of law, crime, and punishment in Britain. It provides a fascinating look into the evolution of justice and public memory of crime and authority.

📍 Getting there: A short walk from the city centre.

Website: https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/

3. Nottingham Contemporary

A leading centre for contemporary art, Nottingham Contemporary features changing exhibitions.

📍 Getting there: Located in the city centre, within walking distance of major transport links.

Website: https://www.nottinghamcontemporary.org/

4. The Workhouse, Southwell (National Trust)

This preserved Victorian workhouse offers insights into historical attitudes towards poverty and welfare.

📍 Getting there: Bus to Southwell from Nottingham city centre, then a short walk.

Website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/nottinghamshire-lincolnshire/the-workhouse-and-infirmary

5. National Holocaust Centre and Museum

Dedicated to Holocaust education and remembrance, this centre explores themes of trauma, collective memory, and historical responsibility.

📍 Getting there: Train from Nottingham to Newark, then a local bus or taxi.

Website: https://www.holocaust.org.uk/

6. Cromford Mills

The birthplace of the modern factory system, this site is crucial to understanding industrial history and the memory of Britain’s economic transformation.

📍 Getting there: Train from Nottingham to Cromford, then a short walk.

Website: https://www.cromfordmills.org.uk/

7. Heights of Abraham (Matlock Bath)

A historic hilltop park with caverns and mining exhibitions, highlighting the region’s geological and industrial past. Matlock Bath is also home to the Peak District Lead Mining Museum.

📍 Getting there: Train from Nottingham to Matlock Bath, then a short walk.

Website (Heights of Abraham): https://www.heightsofabraham.com/

Website (Peak District Lead Mining Museum): https://peakdistrictleadminingmuseum.co.uk/

8. Nottingham Industrial Museum

Located in Wollaton Park, this museum focuses on Nottingham’s industrial past, particularly in textiles, transport, and communication.

📍 Getting there: Bus 30 from the city centre to Wollaton Road (only open certain days, so check first).

Website: https://www.nottinghamindustrialmuseum.org.uk/

9. Wollaton Hall and Park

A stunning Elizabethan mansion housing a natural history museum, Wollaton Hall offers insights into both aristocratic heritage and Britain’s evolving relationship with nature and conservation.

📍 Getting there: Bus 30 from the city centre.

Website: https://wollatonhall.org.uk/

10. Belvoir Castle

This grand estate, home to the Duke of Rutland, offers a glimpse into British aristocratic traditions and has a lovely park, as well as a famous portrait of Henry the VIII. Nearby is a nice pizza place and little shops.

📍 Getting there: Train from Nottingham to Grantham, then a taxi.

Website: https://www.belvoircastle.com/

11. Newstead Abbey

Once the home of poet Lord Byron, Newstead Abbey offers an intimate look into Romanticism and literary heritage.

📍 Getting there: Bus from Nottingham to Ravenshead, then a short walk.

Website: https://www.newsteadabbey.org.uk/

 

It’s always recommended to check the official websites for the latest opening hours, admission prices, specific exhibitions, and travel advice before visiting.

 

Thursday June 5

9:30 Registration & coffee
10:00 Welcome – Room: Adams
Richard Emes, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research & International, NTU
Jenny Wüstenberg for the conference team (Natalie Braber, Steve Brown, Tom Lewis, Chris Reynolds & Jenny Woodley)
10:30-12:00 Parallel sessions
1. Protest and Reconciliation – Room: Adams (Chair: Jenny Woodley)
Eneken Laanes Toxic monuments and the memory of implication in Soviet regime in Estonia
Rosanne Kennedy The afterlives of national apology: From reconciliation to self-determination
Clara Vessing Remembering contentious lives
Tao Zhang Remembering the 1989 Tiananmen Movement and Massacre: The Multiple Roles of Activists and the Global Nexus of Memory Activism
2. History, narrative, memory – Room: Kilpin (Chair: Steve Brown)
William Hirst Flashbulb memories as sites for collective memories
Renata Schellenberg Writing Memory: Daša Drndić’s Literary Uses of the Past 
Ido de Haan The political economy of memory
Shivani Arulalan Pillai Palimpsestic Memory and Imperial Ruination in Orhan Pamuk’s Silent House 
3. Film “Blood in the blackbirds' field: A story of war, justice and resilience” – Room: N28
A film by Blerina Kellezi and Gazmend Bajri.
The session will include and introduction and Q&A with Blerina.
This is a story told by the survivors of the events that took place on the 25-26th of March 1999, in Krusha e Madhe during the Kosova war. It is a story of loss and missing people. It is also a story of survival, resilience and fight for justice to the present day. (Warning! This documentary includes oral testimonies of extreme suffering).
4. Co-creation & memory into action. The value of mixed and participatory methodologies for expanding Memory Studies beyond extractive approaches – Room: Hooley
Cecilia Sosa, Philippa Page and Catherine Gilbert
This panel will propose a friendly conversation about the use of creative/participatory methodologies in Memories Studies across three different but still aligned projects: Radiographies of Democracy, Decolonial Ecologies and Con/Science as Praxis
12:00-13:00 Roundtable: Past, Present and Future: A New Textbook for Memory Studies
With Aline Sierp (Chair), Rosanne Kennedy, Susanne Knittel, Jeffrey Olick, Amar Singh (online) – Room: Adams
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-15:30 Roundtable: Memory Studies in a moment of crisis
With Chris Reynolds (Chair), Chiara de Cesari, Sarah Gensburger, Marianne Hirsch, and Wulf Kansteiner – Room: Adams
15:30-16:00 Coffee
16:00-17:30 Parallel sessions
5. Methods and contexts – Room: Adams (Chair: Hanna Teichler)
Licheng Qian Studying Memory in China: A Field-Relational Approach to Memory Studies
Natalie Braber The structure of narratives in oral history interviews
Sarah Gensburger Narratives at my doorstep: researching memory as an ‘improper historian’
Jay Prosser, Hannah Wilson, Leslie Hakim-Dowek “Creative Responses to Holocaust Materialities”: A Methodology for the Material Legacies of ‘Difficult’ Histories

6. Cultural and transcultural remembering – Room: Kilpin (Chair: Natasha Hodgson)
Kiene Brillenburg Wurth Musical after/lives: Cultural remembrance and distributed creativity
Milica Trakilovic Refugee Heritage next to a Rembrandt: the Making and Unmaking of the Cultural Canon? 
Ayushi Sharma Girlhood in Retrospect: Memory as a Site of Resistance in Select Dalit Women’s Autobiographies
Rianna (Jimin) Rong The Endless War: Dynamic representations of the Korean War in China

7. Testimony, justice and memory – Room: Hooley (Chair: Rosanne Kennedy)
Guy Beiner Orating prememory from the dock
Benjamin Thorne Sensorial Justice: Legal Atrocity Archives and Relational Memory in Fractured Societies
Ben Pelling The Landecker Digital Memory Lab: A Living Database Archive 
Nicole Immler How (post) memory matters to justice

8. Remediations – Room: N28 (Chair: Gianluca Fantoni)
Guido Bartolini Lost in Remediation? Negotiating Responsibility for Fascism in Italian Literature and Its Filmic Adaptations
Daniele Pipitone The making of a dominant narrative: translation and reception of Churchill’s The Second World War in Italy (1947-1992)
Rupal Bansal Everyday Temporalities and Memory-Making: Mediation and Remediation of Memories at Nighttime
Bhagyashri C. Vyasaramacharya Framing Memory: Tracing Shifting Narratives of the Bengal Famine 1943
19:00 Dinner – Cosy Club (16/18 Victoria St, Nottingham NG1 2EX)

Friday June 6

9:00-10:30 Parallel sessions
9. Negotiation and Mediation in the politics of memory (convened by Qiwei Guo) – Room: N28 (Chair: Qiwei Guo)
Juwei Fan Between the state and the self: Understanding private museums and the role of non-collective memory in China
Qiwei Guo Recasting past narratives as rites beyond crises
Su Yin Memory, authenticity and the design tool of cultural heritage

10. Postmemory and retranslation – Room: Kilpin (Chair: Clara Vessing)
Abinraj A. From Affective to Effective: Evolution of Postmemory into Prosthetic Memory in the context of the Malabar Rebellion
Cristina Pividori & Andrea Bellot Ruined Bodies and Landscapes: Theatre, Postmemory, and the Entangled Legacies of Rape and Ecocide in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Shaoyu Yang Retranslation and Cultural Remembrance of the Nanjing Massacre across Time
Yuqing Wang Crystallised objection: Construction, demolition and correction of a place

11. Transnational memory – Room: Adams (Chair: Catherine Gilbert)
Chiara De Cesari Transnational memory reconsidered
Majdi Faleh Mosques, Migration, and Memory: Cultural Legacies in Australia, the UK, and Japan 
Evgenia Dourou „The Other Shore“: Rethinking European Memory Through Emine Sevgi Özdamar’s A Space Bounded by Shadows
Vered Vinitzky-Seroussi Flags, hearts and stamps: The transnational memory of COVID-19

12. The matter of memory – Room: Hooley (Chair: Leo Spitzer)
Liedeke Plate Remembering things: The materiality of memory and the memory of materials
Pari (Paraskevi) Argyrakaki Spaces of familiarity, through objects.
Readings on the spatiality of objects held by Asia Minor refugees and the connection with their homelands, based on oral history archives of Asia Minor Catastrophe
David Duindam Radio Kootwijk and Radio Malabar as colonial infrastructures: concrete and intangible heritage between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies 
Heather Proctor A feminist new materialist approach to memory, media, and (mixed-)race
10:30-11:30 Coffee & Celebrating Dynamics, Mediation, Mobilization: Doing Memory Studies With Ann Rigney - Room: Adams
11:30-12.45 Keynote: Ann Rigney “Remembering to Resist”
12:45-14:00 Lunch
14:00-15:30 Parallel sessions
13. The Memory-activism nexus – Room: Adams (Chair: Chris Reynolds)
Anna (Amza) Reading Remembering autism in the memory-activism nexus
Thorsten Fehlberg Memory or Activism – Descendants of Survivors of Nazi Persecution 
John Njenga Karugia Negotiating Memory Ethics and Memory Citizenship within Memory Activism 
Laura Maffizoli Becoming a Memory Activist: Political Agency and the KGB Documents of the MIA Archive in Tbilisi, Georgia

14. Emplaced memories – Room: Kilpin (Chair: Steve Brown)
Kirsten Thisted Remembering Greenland 
Anne Mette Randrup Jorgensen ‘Re-negotiated’ – reflections on an exhibition on Danish collective memory on Greenland
Emilie Dybdal Impure Resistance, Impure Aesthetics: Renegotiating Denmark’s Colonial Past in Kim Leine’s The Prophets of Eternal Fjord (2012)

15. Cultural memory and aesthetics – Room: N28 (Chair: Joep Leerssen)
Alia Wielens Negotiating Plural Memories: Dynamics and Practices of Remembrance 
Maria Sicilliano Aesthetic Memorialization: On the Implicated “You” in Rankine’s Citizen 
Gerardine Meaney Cultural memory and cultural analytics
Yanning Chen ‘Dear Li Hua, we finally dug through to see you’: Personal transcultural memory of  imagined China-US vernacular exchanges in the wave of TikTok Refugees 

16. Material and embodied engagements – Room: Hooley (Aline Sierp)
Rick Crownshaw The re-materialisation of the Anthropocene in British museums
Thomas Sebastian Köhn Remembering Beyond Silence: Listening to Soundscapes and Spatiality in Holocaust Memorials 
Paul Max Morin The Empire’s safe
Minghe Ma Spolia in contemporary Chinese urban landscapes
15:30 Coffee
16:00-17:30 Walking tour with Robin Hood (meet at the Left Lion)
or Embroidery Workshop (Room: Kilpin)

Saturday June 7

9:30-11:00 Parallel sessions
17. Mnemonic ecologies of violence (convened by Susanne Knittel) – Room: Adams
Susanne Knittel Staging ecocide
Ifor Duncan Cultural memory and the victimisation of nature
Tom van Bunnik A poetics of intimacy
Clara de Massol Slow violence and toxic geographies

18. Memory on the move – Room: Kilpin (Chair: Johana Wyss)
Kyle Thomson Memory, Mobility, Stagnation: A Comparative Reading of Movement in Igiaba Scego and Lucía Asué Mobmío Rubio 
Maria Zirra Accidental archives and diffractive reading: Gladys Mgudlandlu and the resistant periodic memory object
Mingkun Li Official Memory in Motion: The Remediation of a Socialist Railway Film Archive in Post-socialist China

19. Challenging monuments – Room: Hooley (Chair: Tom Lewis)
Nikolina Zidek The afterlives of necrotoxic monuments: a comparative case study of the tombs of Ante Pavelić and José Antonio Primo de Rivera at the San Isidro Cemetery in Madrid 
Carmit Wolberg De-commemoration commemorated: A proposed typology of mediated de-commemoration following the toppling of Edward Colston's statue
Cecile Stehrenberger, Julieta Blazquez & Katharina Kalthoff Practices of commemorating disasters in Argentina, Germany and Central America, since 1990

20. Reimaginings and recreations – Room: N28 (Chair: Natalie Braber)
Lucy Bond & Jessica Rapson Ecologies of the discarded: Cartographic collage as mnemonic recovery
Charley Boerman Reimagining famine in film
Ivan Stacy The Opposite of Haunting: Traumatic Foreclosure in Zhang Yueran’s Cocoon (2016)
11:00-11:30 Coffee
11:30-13:00 Roundtable – Future Directions in Memory Studies
With Jeff Olick (Chair), Aleida Assmann, Stef Craps, Paul Max Morin, Johana Wyss, and Hannah Wilson – Room: Adams
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:30 Tour of Bromley House Library (sign-ups in advance, though possibility of joining late for £10 – meet at conference registration desk)
or ‘Standing In This Place’ talk and walk (meet in Room: Kilpin)

If you would be interested in spending a day/night (or longer) in the Peak District, we recommend taking the train from Nottingham to Cromford or Matlock Bath (takes about an hour). It is beautiful for hiking and for exploring the area’s industrial and mining heritage. A great place to stay is the Greyhound Hotel in Cromford. If you need more information, or would like to assemble a group of people for a hike, please email jenny.wustenberg@ntu.ac.uk

Registration

Registration is completed on the Nottingham Trent University shop.
Please click the button to access the shop.