Genius Loci 2.0
4 - 6 November 2026, Porto
Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto
The Department of Heritage Studies of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto and CITCEM – Transdisciplinary Research Center for Culture, Space and Memory invites everyone interested to submit presentations and papers for the International Congress to be held in Porto (FLUP) on November 4, 5, and 6, 2026.
About
Genius Loci 2.0: places and meanings
Ten years after the International Congress Genius Loci: Places and Meanings (2016), and aware of the transformations the world has undergone in that time, the DCTP relaunches this Scientific Meeting in 2026, in an updated edition conscious of the challenges and needs facing the social sciences today. The event persists, however, in celebrating three decades of specialized teaching and research in the scientific areas of Archaeology, Art History, and Museology developed at the DCTP, as well as in the promotion and intervention in heritage. In this sense, the scientific and pedagogical legacy of Carlos Alberto Ferreira de Almeida (1934-1996), the first signatory of the department who passed away prematurely, is once again invoked.
This 2.0 edition of Genius Loci is expected to receive contributions that address the conceptual, epistemological, and technological advancements that characterise scientific research in Heritage Studies currently. Framed within the strategic plan of CITCEM 2025-29, centred on the theme "Finding communities and expanding dialogues", Genius Loci 2.0: places and meanings welcomes proposals that present multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary approaches, framed within one of the following thematic sections:
Architecture
This section aims to reflect the plurality of architectural manifestations from the Middle Ages to the Contemporary Era, with a particular focus on the Iberian and European context. Therefore, contributions focused on regional realities, synthesis studies, or case studies of the most significant examples of architecture are welcome.
Sacred spaces
Sacred spaces are living and changing realities, dependent on the passage of time. These natural and/or man-made places, which host scheduled rituals, give meaning to a community and embody the connection between terrestrial and transcendence time.
Heritage management
In a context of increasing social, cultural, and environmental complexity, heritage management is understood as a dynamic and situated process that articulates scientific knowledge, institutional frameworks, public policies, and social practices.
Images and contexts
The main objective of this panel is to understand how the integration of images in their various media, spaces, and contexts reveals performative practices of an identity-based and communicative nature throughout a broad chronology, from Prehistory to the Contemporary era.
Transition worlds
Human history, viewed cyclically, is punctuated by moments of change that generate cultural and social ruptures of varying scope. These transitions promote the transformation of structures, technologies, lifestyles, and identities.
Vernacular
The universe of what we classify as vernacular is illusory and often inconspicuous: it is part of our daily social life, the landscapes we traverse, and the places where our lives revolve. However, this proximity tends to camouflage it, only regaining importance when threatened with disappearance, and alarms sound about what we are about to lose.
Landscapes, territories & mobilities
Mobility is linked to understanding the landscape and to the production of representations of the territory. Routes and means of communication guide movement and anchor it to fixed or semi-fixed points, taking on diverse forms according to historical and pre-historical times.
Registration & Information
Registration for Genius Loci 2.0 will be open starting May 12, 2026. Submission of papers or posters is open until April 10, 2026.
Suport and Partnerships
