3th edition of the In2Future Boot Camp | Heritage(s), ways of using: memories, sustainability, and cohesion

Mafra | Lisbon, 14 to 19 of September, 2026

Heritage, which is central to IN2PAST’s work, has been the theme around which the doctoral researchers at this Associated Laboratory have gathered annually for reflection since 2024 at the In2Future Boot Camps. Following a first edition focused on a conceptual analysis of heritage and heritage practices, and a second dedicated to a more collective and inclusive societal reflection on shared heritage, the third edition of the In2Future Boot Camp continues this path of reflection, proposing a deeper exploration of these issues in the context of current social and territorial transformations.

Based on the theme “Heritage(s), ways of using: memories, sustainability, and cohesion” this edition proposes a reflection on the multiple forms of appropriation, interpretation, and mobilization of heritage. It is important to explore how different stakeholders – local communities, researchers, institutions, or policymakers – produce, preserve, and utilize diverse forms of heritage, fostering memories and negotiating identities within specific territorial contexts. How do these practices relate to the challenges of social, cultural, and environmental sustainability? What tensions, conflicts, regimes of visibility, and silence are revealed in heritage practices? Which discourses about the past are authorized, and which remain without legitimacy? How do these discourses influence the way we imagine and construct the future?
In this context, heritage will be reflected not only as a legacy, but also as a field of ethical and political negotiation that can help to reinforce or challenge forms of social and territorial cohesion – which are crucial in the face of the challenges posed by environmental crises and the fragility of contemporary democracies.

The Boot Camp program will seek to combine different formats for gathering, sharing, and collective work, reflecting the diversity of perspectives on the uses of heritage that guides this edition. Following the immersive itinerary tested in previous editions, the aim is to foster a site-specific approach to the territory, linking moments of academic reflection with direct experiences in heritage contexts. The structure is thus based on the interconnection between conceptual and methodological discussion, engagement with materialities, landscapes, and communities, and spaces for informal dialogue, fostering a more integrated and critical understanding of heritage-building processes and their social, cultural, and environmental implications.
In this regard, participants can look forward to a diverse range of activities, including guided tours and visits to specific local sites, participatory sessions for discussion and collective experimentation, as well as thematic workshops that explore different forms of expression and heritage objects. These initiatives will be complemented by informal spaces for gathering and inspiration, designed to foster exchange among researchers, communities, and local stakeholders. The program will culminate in a future-oriented laboratory session – IN2FUTURE – dedicated to joint reflection on the possible continuations of the discussions initiated, seeking to strengthen collaboration networks and open pathways to new approaches to contemporary heritage challenges.

PhD researchers from the various units of IN2PAST are invited to participate in this edition of the Boot Camp, which will challenge them to critically explore the multiple dimensions of heritage in the context of contemporary social and territorial transformations. In line with the initiative’s immersive nature, participants will be encouraged to engage in exercises of reflection and practical experimentation, linking their research to the territory, communities, and the diverse forms of heritage production, appropriation, and mobilization. The aim is thus to foster situated, collaborative, and interdisciplinary approaches capable of bringing together different perspectives and experiences.

Applications must be submitted by May, 17, completing the form available here.

The 20 selected candidates will be notified of the results until June 10.

IN2PAST will cover the participants’ travel expenses, accommodation, and part of their meals.