Museo de Sitio Túcume - Lambayeque, Peru
August 16-20, 2026

The International Committees SOMUS (Social Museology) and COMCOL (Collecting) of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) invite proposals for the International Conference “Social Museology, Sustainability and Community-based Collections Management.”

The conference will take place at the Túcume Site Museum, located at the foot of Cerro Purgatorio and surrounded by the 26 pyramids that make up the Túcume Archaeological Complex in northern Peru. Founded on August 20, 1992, the museum has developed a long-standing model of collaborative heritage management, integrating archaeological research with social engagement and community participation.

Taking part in this conference therefore offers the opportunity to experience firsthand an active model of citizen and community participation in the stewardship of cultural and natural heritage, highlighting the fundamental role of communities across the four dimensions of sustainability: social, cultural, environmental, and economic.

In this context, the joint SOMUS–COMCOL conference seeks to bring together museum professionals, researchers, and community representatives from Latin America and other regions, in order to foster exchange around community participation, collections management, and the social responsibility of museums.

Conference Theme

This conference invites participants to reflect on the relationships between museums, collections, communities and territories, particularly in contexts where museums act as facilitators of cultural continuity, social participation and sustainable development.

We welcome contributions that explore theoretical perspectives, practical experiences, methodologies and case studies addressing the intersections between social museology, sustainability and collections management from diverse perspectives.

Suggested Themes and Guiding Questions for Proposals

Insurgent Museologies: Participatory Collections Management for Strengthening Community Cultural Identity

● How can museums rethink collections from the perspectives, knowledge systems, memories, and experiences of communities and their territories?
● How is participatory or co-created collection management manifested in practice?
● How can museums reconsider the authority of knowledge and incorporate plural epistemologies?

Sustainability and Buen Vivir in Community Museological Practices

● How can museums contribute to the social, cultural, environmental, and economic sustainability of their territories?
● What role do museums play in preserving traditional ecological knowledge?
● In a world that prioritizes consumption, how can Buen Vivir and culture offer a real alternative for sustainable development?

Community Agency and Cultural Rights: Culture as a Driver of Community Development

● Museums often safeguard objects from the past; how can these collections help address present-day challenges (such as identity and sense of belonging)?
● Who is the true “owner” of objects: the museum that preserves them or the community that created them?
● What object or knowledge from your community is considered “sacred” and should be preserved for the next seven generations?

Format for Contributions

We welcome proposals for a variety of formats, including:

Paper presentations (individual or shared presentation up to 15 minutes)
Dialogue sessions (60 minute session of moderator and 2-4 speakers to share perspectives
on a focused topic)
Poster (graphic presentation with up to 300 words to be shared with attendees in gallery
setting)
Other experimental or participatory formats

*Particular attention will be given to proposals that include community voices, collaborative methodologies, or participatory experiences.

Poster Session – Community Practices

The conference will include a live poster session, presenting visual documentation of community-based museological practices, ideally including the participation of cultural practitioners and knowledge holders.

This format aims to encourage direct exchange between communities and museum professionals, fostering dialogue around living heritage and participatory heritage management.

Abstract Submission

Abstracts (250–300 words), and maximum of 10MB.

Deadline for abstract submission:
17 May (midnight CET)

Notification of acceptance:
10 June

*Abstracts may be submitted in English or Spanish.

**The conference will include simultaneous translation between English and Spanish.

Conference Publication

A conference publication is planned. Authors who do not wish to participate in the publication should indicate this when submitting their abstract.

Full papers for the publication will be requested after the conference.

Contact and Further Questions

If you seek financial support for physical attendance, the following options are available. Some ICOM's national committees give out travel grants to attend conferences. To find out more, reach out to your national committee. There are also (limited) grants available for SOMUS and COMCOL members.

For any questions for SOMUS, please send an email to icsomusevents@gmail.com;
For any questions for COMCOL, please send an email to secretary.comcol@icom.museum;

Organized by

ICOM SOMUS, ICOM COMCOL and Museo de Sitio Túcume - Lambayeque, Perú