The Annual Conference of the Arbeitskreis Provenienzforschung e.V. will will take place in Hanover from 3 to 5 November.
The new German „Court of Arbitration for Nazi-Looted Cultural Property“, which began its work on December 1, 2025, the “Joint Guidelines for Dealing with Cultural Property and Human Remains from Colonial Contexts”, adopted on October 14 as well as the funding for object-based provenance research on cultural property confiscations in the Soviet Occupation Zone and the GDR launched at the beginning of 2026, are all engaging the field of provenance research – as are the public discussions they have triggered. Digital research infrastructures and Artificial Intelligence are developing rapidly and are becoming increasingly prevalent in provenance research. Opportunities, possibilities, challenges, and risks are being intensively discussed.
The Arbeitskreis Provenienzforschung e.V. is the world’s largest academic professional association for provenance research, with over 630 members from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the USA, the Netherlands, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Israel, Poland, Belgium, Canada, Argentina, Norway, Luxembourg, and the Czech Republic. The 2026 annual conference will take place from November 3–5 at the Sprengel Museum Hannover, the Museum August Kestner, the Landesmuseum Hannover, the ZeitZentrum Zivilcourage, and other cultural institutions in Hanover. The conference aims to reflect on these transformations across the various fields of provenance research and to develop options for future action. All contexts of injustice and all categories of objects should be considered as comprehensively as possible.
Joint plenary panels as well as parallel workshops are planned. We welcome applications from all areas of provenance research that present their perspectives in reflection of current challenges, particularly contributions on the following topics:
How do new legal, political, and academic guidelines, principles, handbooks, or the “Assessment Framework for examining and deciding on the treatment of Nazi-looted cultural property” change provenance research? What do these framework conditions mean for the practice of provenance research?
- Digital opportunities and challenges: What opportunities does so-called artificial intelligence and other new technologies offer, and what impact do they have on provenance research?
- Internationalization of provenance research: What cross-border and transcontinental forms of exchange exist in provenance research concerning colonial and Nazi persecution contexts? How can this exchange be improved and expanded in the future?
- Provenance research in a broader research field: With which related academic disciplines does provenance research interact in the field of Historical and Social Theory? How can interdisciplinary exchange be intensified and improved?
- Culture of remembrance: What contributions can provenance research make to cultures of remembrance? How can actors in remembrance practices interconnect better and support each other?
Proposals may be submitted for the following formats:
Panel presentations of 15 to a maximum of 20 minutes on overarching topics for plenary discussion in English
- Panel presentations of 10 to a maximum of 15 minutes on overarching questions, possibly including case studies from individual disciplines (e.g., postcolonial, archival, numismatic or archaeological studies on provenance questions, provenance studies on ancient art or books, studies on the art market or war losses, etc.) for discussions in smaller panels for a partial audience, in German or English
- Chair and conception of a discussion groups or a workshop on overarching questions with case studies from individual disciplines (see above), in German or English, with a subsequent report to the plenary in English
We particularly welcome applications from international scholars and early-career researchers. Please send your abstract (max. 300 words) in German or English, together with a brief biographical note (max. 200 words) and, if existing, a list of topic-related publications (max. 3), in a single PDF file by February 26, 2026, to hannover2026@arbeitskreis-provenienzforschung.org
For group applications, one single presenter must be named.
Please indicate whether travel and accommodation costs can be covered by your home institution or whether reimbursement from the organizing team is requested.
Questions should be directed as well to the organizing team at hannover2026@arbeitskreis-provenienzforschung.com
The organizing team and the Board of the Arbeitskreis Provenienzforschung e.V. are looking forward for all applications and meeting you in Hanover.