Call for Papers Closing Soon: The Future of Museum Narratives, The Inclusive Museum, 2026

CLOSING SOON: 22 August : Proposals aligned with the The Inclusive Museum Research Network annual themes: Visitors, Collections, and Representations.

The Nineteenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum, the annual meeting of The Inclusive Museum Research Network, taking place 22–24 September 2026 in Sydney, Australia and online, in partnership with our host institution, the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney. The Network brings together museum professionals, scholars, artists, community leaders, technologists, cultural workers, and policymakers who share a commitment to shaping more inclusive, pluralistic, and community-engaged museum futures. We welcome proposals that explore the evolving role of museums as spaces of dialogue, participation, representation, and shared stewardship.

In 2026, the special focus “The Future of Museum Narratives” engages the shifting definitions, responsibilities, and cultural positions of museums in a rapidly changing world. Over the past two decades, the work of the Inclusive Museum Research Network has helped foreground practices of inclusion now reflected in the updated ICOM (2022) museum definition and the UNESCO Recommendation on Museums (2015). Yet today’s global landscape—marked by geopolitical tensions, escalating climate crises, and deepening social inequalities—demands renewed attention to how museums curate, interpret, and communicate narratives about the past, present, and future.

More information: https://onmuseums.com/2026-conference/call-for-papers-1