Venue: 

University of Antwerp. Stadscampus - Gebouw S - Klooster van de Grauwzusters, Promotiezaal Lange Sint-Annastraat 72000 Antwerpen, België

This expert meeting is a collaboration between the University of Antwerp, the University of Helsinki and FARO. Heritage sites—such as historic buildings, monuments, museums, and archives—hold deep meaning for people. They can evoke strong emotions, shape identities, and spark important conversations. Engaging with heritage means navigating its many layers: historical, political, social, and emotional. Heritage professionals play a crucial role in preserving collections, researching histories, and sharing stories with the public. Their work often carries personal significance, as they care for artifacts and shape the way heritage is understood. At the same time, visitors actively participate in heritage by exploring, learning, and reflecting on what they encounter. The emotions they experience—whether tied to specific objects, exhibitions, or the atmosphere of a place—can be just as important as the heritage itself. Sometimes, what is absent is just as powerful as what is present. Emotions also shape how heritage is presented and interpreted. They raise important questions: Whose history is being told? What stories remain unheard? Who decides how heritage is displayed and experienced? This expert meeting explores the emotional dimensions of heritage work—from the perspectives of both professionals and audiences. How do emotions influence museum practices and visitor experiences? How can we make these emotional processes more visible, fostering openness and inclusivity in heritage spaces? Join us as we examine heritage and memory institutions through the lens of emotional labor, and discuss how recognizing these emotions can lead to a more democratic approach to cultural heritage.

09:00–9:30 Registration

09:30–09:50 Welcome and opening remarks by Suzie Thomas (UAntwerp)

10:00-11:50 Session 1 - Chair Pia Olson (University of Helsinki)

10:00-10:20 Inkeri Hakamies (University of Helsinki) "You can't really be yourself" - Managing Emotions in Cultural Heritage Work

10:20-10:40 Anke Hellebuyck (UAntwerp) Affective responsibilities and emotional connections as decolonising tactics in the museum: Insights from the Royal Museums of Art and History

10:40-11:00 Doris Blancquaert (UAntwerp) More than a health hazard? The emotions, silences, and controversy surrounding asbestos-containing heritage.

11:00-11:20 Questions

11:20-11:50 Coffee and tea

11:50-12:40 Session 2 -Chair Hélène Verreyke (UAntwerp)

11:50-12:20 Keynote speaker Charlotte Engman (Umeå University) Heritage on the Front Line: Emotional labor, power, and public debate in museum practice

12:20-12:40 Questions

12:40–14:00  Lunch

14:00-15:40 Session 3 - Chair Olga Van Oost (FARO-VUB)

14.00-14.30 Suzie Thomas (UAntwerp) Archaeological object method' as a way to access emotional connections to objects

14:30-14:40 Questions

14:40-15:40 Roundtable: Sharing and Reflecting on Emotional Engagement Practices in Museums, Bart Marius (Artistic Director Museum Dr. Guislain Gent), Els Veraverbeke (Conservator Yper Museum)

15:40-17:00 Continuing the conversation with coffee, tea and cake