The Centre for Port Cities and Maritime Cultures (PCMC) is excited to invite papers for its inaugural conference, in collaboration with our colleagues at the Department of History, Hong Kong Baptist University. The conference will take place on 10th and 11th June 2025 at the University of Portsmouth. 

PCMC was officially launched at the University of Portsmouth in March 2024, with the aim to build and greatly expand on the scholarship and activities of the Port Towns and Urban Cultures research group (2010-24).

PCMC focuses on the past, present and future importance of urban-maritime cultures and communities within a global context. The increasing concern about social and economic deprivation in coastal communities has underscored the importance of focusing scholarly work on the waterfront. We're dedicated to investigating the opportunities that exist for cultural and heritage enrichment initiatives and community engagement programmes in this area. This interdisciplinary conference aims to unite scholars and practitioners from around the globe working at the intersection of urban and maritime arts, humanities and social science research and impact. 

We invite 20-minute papers on the Centre’s key themes:

  • The construction and experience of urban-maritime cultures
  • Representations of urban maritime spaces and cultures
  • Recovering marginalised voices: Coastal communities and maritime heritage
  • The conservation of tangible and intangible maritime heritage

We particularly encourage postgraduate and early career scholars to submit abstracts.

Participation:
The price for the two-day conference is £150 per person, with a reduced rate of £80 for students. The conference fee will include lunch and teas/coffees on both days, and a wine reception.

The conference will be conducted in English. We kindly request all speakers to present in English or provide their own means of simultaneous translation.

How to apply: 
Abstracts should be 300 words maximum and should be submitted in English. Please also include the author(s) name, affiliation(s), corresponding email, and a short biography of a maximum of 100 words. All submissions should be emailed to pcmc@port.ac.uk no later than Sunday 19th January 2025, with “PCMC Conference” in the subject line. The organising committee will notify applicants by 2nd February 2025 if they have been accepted to present.

 Fulll details