New keynote session to explore heritage and public belonging
As questions of national identity become increasingly contested, what role can museums play in creating spaces for dialogue, reflection and democratic exchange?
A new session planned for MA Conference 2026 will bring together leading voices from academia and community practice to explore this question, with the opportunity for in-person and online delegates to share their own thoughts and experiences.
The session will open the second day of conference, which takes place at the Rep Theatre in Birmingham on 2-4 November 2026.
Streamed to online audiences and recorded, the keynote panel on Englishness runs from 0940, and will consider how museums might respond to a changing social and political landscape.
The session chair Sara Wajid, co-chief executive officer at Birmingham Museums Trust, will facilitate a panel featuring Daniel McNeil, Stuart Hall interdisciplinary chair, University of Birmingham; Nirmal Puwar, professor, media, communications and cultural studies, Goldsmiths, University of London; and Joy Warmington, CEO, Brap.
More information on this panel and the rest of the sessions can be found in our online programme.