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Participants are invited to submit papers for the symposium.
Selected papers that cannot be presented orally can be presented
in the form of posters (poster session).
For detailed information on the theme of the Scientific Symposium,
please click on the pdf attached.
If you wish to submit a paper, please click
here to find out about the conditions for submitting papers
and to access the application form.
Wherein lies the spirit of place? In order to answer this question,
we suggest examining the relationship between spirit and place,
between the tangible and the intangible.
It is often assumed that the spirit of place emanates from one
or the other, as stemming from either the physical object or from
the specific uses it serves. Some believe that it is the product
of the genius of its creator, who leaves a permanent mark on the
place - the creator being an individual, a group, a community, an
ancestor or even a supernatural being - while others think instead
that it originates from the place itself, which instils meaning
in both its creator and its users. However, these approaches tend
to present spirit of place as an essence, as something singular,
permanent and static.
Rather than dissociating “spirit” from “place,”
the tangible from the intangible, and considering them as being
opposed to one another, we invite participants to explore the many
ways in which the two interact and mutually complement one another.
Spirit, as the intangible genius of the creator, leaves a permanent
impression on place and gives it meaning whereas the place itself,
that is to say the tangible, nourishes the spirit of its creator
and helps define the creation. We wish to broaden the discussion
to include not only the creator but also the actual users of place,
and define place as being a combination of both tangible elements
(the features of the site, the buildings, the material objects,
etc.) and intangible elements (oral traditions, beliefs, rituals,
festivals, etc.). When considered as a relational concept, the spirit
of place takes on a plural and dynamic character, capable of possessing
multiple meanings, of changing over time and of belonging to different
groups.
This dynamic perception of the spirit of place is also better adapted
to today’s world, to the present-day global village, which
is characterized by major transnational population movements, increased
intercultural contacts and the emergence of pluralistic societies.
The Québec City Scientific Symposium will be structured
around four sub-themes or topics of discussion. You are invited
to submit papers relating to one of the following sub-themes:
1. Re-thinking the Spirit of Place
2. The Threats to the Spirit of Place
3. Safeguarding the Spirit of Place
4. Transmitting the Spirit of Place
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