UNESCO

Chair on Heritage Futures

Survival kit

2026-04-29

Today, Gustav Wollentz and Cornelius Holtorf attended the Vernissage of the exhibition Survival Kit at Kalmar Art Museum. I also contributed to a panel discussion held on the occasion, discussing the exhibition and the task of hopemaking.

The exhibition is part of the Småland Triennial: Anxiety – art, preparedness and resistance  and is produced in collaboration with Linnaeus University in the context of the interdisciplinary research project  
Hopemaking: Nurturing cultures of positive resistance. We are glad we were able to commission the art work Hope Studio by Kultivator (see picture).

World heritage and peacemaking

2026-04-28

Cornelius Holtorf was invited by the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) to run a Futures Workshop on 28 April 2026 in Visby om Gotland, Sweden. This was a follow-up workshop from a previous Futures Workshop held by the OWHC in September 2024 in Cordoba.

The topic jointly chosen for this workshop was World Heritage sites and global peace-making. The workshop resulted in a list of possible action items for the coming year and beyond.

Among the ca 40 participants in total were world heritage site managers and local decision-makers from Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Sweden, and the USA. This included Darius Jasaitis, Mayor of Neringa in Lithuania, Matea Dorčić, Deputy Mayor of Split in Croatia, and Wolfgang Dersch, Head of Culture in the City of Regensburg in Germany.

Proposals for priorities 2027-30

2026-04-17

I contributed to an online discussion with Swedish representatives of UNESCO-related activities as part of the consultation process in the context of developing a new strategy for the Swedish National UNESCO Commission 2027-2030.

Every four years, a new strategy is created in the context of other documents, such as now the Swedish government’s strategy for collaborating with UNESCO 2022-25 and UNESCO’s own Medium-Term Strategy 2022-29.

I made the following concrete proposals:

  1. Swedish interests should also include the world’s needs
  2. strengthen global multilateralism
  3. promote intergenerational fairness (EU Commissioner, UN Pact for the Future)
  4. shape the post-2030 agenda (cultural goal)
  5. strengthen a culture of peace
  6. strengthen trust in societies (important role of culture)
  7. strengthen collaboration with (and among) UNESCO Chairs in Sweden

We will survive

2026-04-07

Last weekend, I visited the exhibition We Will Survive: The Prepper Movement and Design at Röhsska Museum of Design and Craft in Göteborg. It explores how people prepare for an uncertain future and the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI) – from preppers who collect various things to secure their survival to civil contingency planning (governmental prepping) in the face of war and natural disasters.

What is the role of culture and heritage in such collections for the future? In the Röhsska exhibition, there are few cultural things recognised for their survival value. These include devotional religious offerings and family photographs providing comfort.

It is a shame that there are no cultural objects inspiring us to act collaboratively, caring and in solidarity with any human or non-human creatures in need. It is well known that a crisis can bring out the best in people. It is also an opportunity for people to create a better future world, together with others. Indeed, culture can prevent crises – which the exhibition recognised in one of its texts:

Various activities January – March 2026

2026-03-31

Cornelius Holtorf, at the invitation of SVT Drama, formulated a short text about culture and cultural heritage in Sweden and the world in the year 2030. The text is intended to help screenwriters identify the themes and conflicts that will shape societal development in the coming years, so that the series SVT is developing today—for release in 4–5 years—will feel relevant and resonate with their contemporary context (4 January 2025).

Cornelius Holtorf lectured on “Global Cultural Policy” for 15 students taking the course Possibilities and Limits of Cultural Policy as part of the Undergraduate Programme in Cultural heritage in present and future societies at Linnaeus University, Campus Kalmar (7 January 2026).

Marcy Rockman held a seminar on archaeology and the climate crisis for 25 students taking the course Archaeology I at Linnaeus University, Campus Kalmar (8 January 2026).

Cornelius Holtorf commented on the Draft ICOMOS Charter on Preparedness for Emergency Response to Cultural Heritage in Disasters and Conflicts prepared by the International Scientific Committee on Risk Preparedness (ICORP) (12 January 2026).

Anders Högberg was invited to run a workshop on Archaeology, heritage processes and futures making practices at the two Research Days of the Study Program Pre- and Protohistory Post-Anthropocene Archaeology at Institute für Ur- und Frühgeschichte und Vorderasiatische Archäologie, Heidelberg University (12-13 January 2026).

Cornelius Holtorf presented an invited talk “Kulturerbe als Bedrohung? Herausforderungen im Umgang mit toxischem Erbe” (Cultural heritage as a threat? Challenges in managing toxic heritage) for cirka 20 students and researchers plus an unknown number of online listeners taking part at the annual conference Sammlungen – Provenienz – Kulturelles Erbe at the University Würzburg, Germany (23 January 2026).

Anders Högberg, Gustav Wollentz and Cornelius Holtorf took part in the start-up workshop of the project “Sustainable Cultural Heritage: Need for New Knowledge in Swedish Cultural Heritage Research” organised by the Swedish Research Council, held at WIk Castle near Uppsala, Sweden (28-29 January 2026).

Cornelius Holtorf was interviewed by Jurn Buisman, Cyrill von Planta, Monica Rhodes, and Gabrielle Lubliner in the context of the project “A Spot on the Horizon”, a strategic initiative of the Board of the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) focused on anticipating long-term challenges and future directions for the organisation (12 February 2026).

Cornelius Holtorf attended a digital seminar on Culture, Media and Long-Term Governance of the Long-Term Governance Network run by the School of International Futures and chaired by Sophie Howes, the first Future Generations Commissioner for Wales 2016-23 (12 February 2026).

Cornelius Holtorf held a Masterclass for eight PhD students in Cultural Heritage at University of Cambridge, UK (19 February 2026)

Cornelius Holtorf helt a seminar on his forthcoming paper “Beyond the 1964 Venice Charter: cultural
heritage as regeneration (ever changing never less than whole)” in the journal CONSERVAR PATRIMÓNIO for seven students reading the MPhil in Cultural Heritage at University of Cambridge, UK (20 February 2026).

Cornelius Holtorf was invited to address 20+ managers in the Jönköping Region during their annual leadership day with a talk entited “Why culture and cultural heritage must serve peace and not war, especially in times of crisis” (27 February 2026).

Cornelius Holtorf, in his role as member of the External Advisory Committee, took part in a meeting of the Flagship-Initiative Transforming Cultural Heritage at University of Heidelberg, Germany (27 February 2026).

Cornelius Holtorf co-organised and co-ran a workshop for 22 participants on peace experience and peace knowledge in Sweden as intangible cultural heritage, in Mörbylånga, Sweden (1 March 2026).

Cornelius Holtorf had an informal meeting with Gunnar Petersson, Chair of “Hela Sverige ska leva, Kronoberg”, who is developing the idea of a UNESCO Biosphere area tentatively entitled Inland Lake Landscape Linné in Kronobergs län (10 March 2026).

Cornelius Holtorf lectured on “Designing Futures” for 12 students in Design, reading a course on Design Processes and Methods focussing on Time at Linnaeus University, Campus Växjö (11 March 2026).

Cornelius Holtorf attended a digital seminar of the Long-Term Governance Network run by the School of International Futures, this time focussing on Communicating for Future Generations featuring Deša Srsen, Member of Cabinet for the European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness (12 March 2026).

Cornelius Holtorf submitted comments to the authors on a working draft of the Future Generations Communications ‘Playbook’ with key messages and resources for communicating on future generations, funded by the Future of Climate Cooperation (14 March 2026).

Cornelius Holtorf and Sarah May attended online a Roundtable Debate on “Transforming Heritage: Research, Policy, and Practice in Dialogue” organised by the Centre for Advanced Study inherit. heritage in transformation Humboldt-Universität Berlin, Germany (24 March 2026). The panel included Charlotte Joy, Non-Executive Director for Culture, UK National Commission for UNESCO; Marlen Meißner, Head of the Heritage, Nature, Society Department; German Commission for UNESCO; Ulrike Guérin, Head of the UNESCO “Heritage for Peace” Programme, Paris; Elke Selter, Associate Researcher, SOAS University of London; Katharina Ribbe, Multilateral Cultural Policy, Federal Foreign Office, Germany.

What do we need to know in 2050?

2026-03-26

The UNESCO Chair on Heritage Futures held a Futures Workshop for its ‘home’ Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Linnaeus University in Kalmar. For four hours, we involved cirka 70 colleagues in intensive group work and plenary discussions about knowledge in the arts and humanities in transition, asking the challenging question “What do we need to know in 2050?”.

As group leaders served Anders Högberg, Gustav Wollentz, Emily Hanscam as well as our colleagues Bodil Petersson (Dean) and Corina Löwe (Vice-Dean). The Dean and Vice-Dean emphasized that this was to be seen as the start of a process of long-term development for the Faculty.

From Conservation to Change

2026-03-19

Cornelius Holtorf presented an invited keynote lecture on “Heritage Futures: From Conservation to Change” for an audience of almost 100 students, researchers and University teachers, attending the international conference EPoCH2026 · Heritage future(s) / future heritage(s): on the threshold of change held at Católica University, Porto, Portugal. The slogan of Católica is “The University of the Future” (19 March 2026).

EPoCH is an annual scientific conference, organized by the Heritage & Conservation-Restoration Focus Area of the Centre for Science and Technology of the Arts (CITAR) of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, intended as a forum for discussions on future directions in heritage and conservation-restoration research, embracing collaborative conversations driven by emerging perspectives and the exploration of a diverse array of practices, theories, and approaches. In 2026, EPoCH was organized in connection with the Transform4Europe (T4EU) alliance and was part of the broader framework of the T4EU Sustainable Heritage Conference and T4EU Common European Heritage Week.

CLA of Cultural Heritage and Social Sustainability

2026-03-17

The team at Linnaeus University working on behalf of the Swedish National Heritage Board on a future national research agenda on sustainability spent most of the day to hold an internal futures workshop (16 March 2026).

Anders Högberg, Ulrika Söderström, Gustav Wollentz, and Cornelius Holtorf used Causal Layered Analysis to rethink cultural heritage and identify new perspectives to be taken and new questions to be asked concerning cultural heritage and social sustainability.

One underlying metaphor for cultural heritage in the future might be: “The cultural heritage of the future, we create ourselves, together.”

Inherited Futures

2026-03-13

The EU Commissioner för Intergenerational Fairness recently published a report entitled Inherited Futures. Citizens – Objects – Stories. I downloaded it here I think but it is no longer available there now (if anybody finds it please let me know).

This 200+pages-report documents the objects and stories of 150 randomly selected citizens from all 27 EU Member States who were asked what intergenerational fairness means to them.

The objects and stories they selected make intergenerational relations tangible and personal. Many of these citizens chose what reminds them of their grandparents, what they care about for the future, and/or what they choose to pass on to their children or grandchildren. As the Introduction to the report concluded, many objects are small bridges between past and future.

This collection of citizens’ objects and stories is in fact a collection of ‘heritage futures’, exemplifying how cultural heritage can manage the relations between present and future societies in people’s ordinary lives.

Heritage for Global Challenges

2026-03-06

Cornelius Holtorf visited the Leverhulme Heritage for Global Challenges Research Centre established in 2022 at the University of York, UK. All the Centre’s work “begins from the premise that there is an urgent need to develop new ways of thinking about and managing heritage.”

The Leverhulme Centre is housed in the historic King’s Manor building and led by Professor Emma Waterton (centre) and Dr Hayley Saul (right).

During the morning, Holtorf met 14 researchers at the Centre to discuss their ongoing research. Later gave a lecture entitled “Decolonising the Future: From Preserving Memory across Generations to Sustaining the (Re-)Generation of Memory” for a combined physical and digital audience of around 50 (5-6 March 2026).