6th annual conference of the University Network of the European Capitals of Culture (UNeECC)

The title of the conference is ‘Ageing society, ageing culture?’ The conference will focuses on 3 major themes that are of interest to the network and the European Capitals of Culture movement and we welcome a variety of scholarly papers that address either of these themes.

1. The effect of ageing on modern society

2. The effect of culture on ageing

The conference will also focus on a track about the European Capital of Culture programme under the title:

3. The ECoC coming of age - Financial and cultural sustainability of the ECoC programme

The themes can be interpreted in a broad sense, but given the academic objectives of the conference, papers must yield new insights and focus on the effects of these processes on universities, European Capitals of Culture and their stakeholders, i.e. on academics, students, university administrators, regional and local authorities, creative industries, innovative entrepreneurship in the cultural sector, cultural policy makers, and the civil society. A selection of the papers will be published in UNeECC Forum, UNeECC’s recently created academic review.

We very much encourage professors, teachers, researchers, young scholars and junior faculty to participate. We also invite papers from undergraduate and graduate students. Students should indicate their student status (graduate or undergraduate) when presenting a proposal.

We also invite colleagues from local city/regional administration, particularly those responsible for organizing their cities’ European Capital of Culture programme, to present papers about ideas, projects and experience of best practice.

The effect of ageing on the modern society

related disciplines: sociology, politology, psychology, business and economics, history, communication studies, medical sciences

Topics

• age-friendly cultural and economic environments across Europe
• languages and culture
• life-long learning
• inclusion and exclusion of the elder in society
• the forgotten yet powerful mass of voters care for the elderly costs and provisions...what now with global meltdown?
• the concepts of successful ageing, productive ageing and comfortable aging the fear of ageing
• human dignity and independence employment and ageing
• health promotion
• support groups

The effect of culture on ageing

related disciplines: architecture, arts, humanities

Topics

• community based art programmes as tools for health promotion
• cultural concepts of ageing
• age effects in cultural life
• architecture and the elderly
• the growing role of volunteering older adults in the communities
• the importance of intergenerational community activities value gaps
• contribution of the aged to the European Capitals of Culture programmes creativity and the elderly

The ECoC coming of age- Financial and cultural sustainability of the ECoC programme

• global and local perspectives of the ECoC programme
• criteria of long-term cultural legacies
• ways of assessment of financial, cultural, physical and social impacts – evaluation methods and practices
• the effect of regeneration on local images and identities
• the impact of the ECoC title on university enrollment