INTERNACIONAL CYCLE OF CONFERENCES: “City and Myth: from past to present”
Date of the 1st Session of the Conference Cycle (hybrid format), at the University of Aveiro: March 10, 2026
Dates of the 2nd Session of the Conference Cycle (hybrid format), at the Catholic University of Lisbon: December 10 and 11, 2026
The Cycle of Conferences “Mythical Cities: From Past to Present” seeks to investigate the multiple dimensions – historical, literary, artistic, anthropological, urbanistic and digital – that render mythical cities a fruitful object of study for illuminating both the symbolic origins of human communities and the contemporary dynamics of urban and identitary construction. Faced with the persistence of foundational narratives, urban symbolisms and collective imaginaries, it is essential to understand how different representations of the city are constituted, transformed and (re)configured over time, thereby influencing social practices, public policies and perceptions of the built environment.
More than an academic event, this cycle presents an opportunity to rethink the narratives that shape our understanding of space, memory, and cultural identity. In a period marked by intense mobility, environmental crisis, and digital transformation, understanding how symbolic narratives about the city are updated is crucial for promoting urban policies more sensitive to memory, cultural diversity, and sustainability. Moreover, a critical examination of myths enables the deconstruction of hegemonic discourses and the opening up of space for plural narratives, which are essential for more democratic and resilient cities.
Therefore, this Cycle of Conferences proposes not only to interrogate the mechanisms of myth production — including in the contemporary world — but also to reaffirm the centrality of the “city” as a category of interpretation and of human lived experience.
Proposed Subthemes
The conference subthemes:
1 The city in mythical and legendary antiquity: mythical foundations, symbolic persistence, and the relation between myth and cultural memory;
2 Representations of the city in literature, in cinema, in the visual arts, in video games etc.;
3 Symbolic topographies: sacred places, liminal spaces and the cartography of the imagination;
4 Utopian and dystopian cities: metaverse and virtual world;
5 City as the founding of nations;
6 Reconstructed Cities: processes of memory and forgetting; contemporary urban mythology — re-significations in the present world;
7 Contemporary Urban Mythology;
8 Anthropology and sociabilities: urban rites, popular festivals, and quotidian practices within the mythical space;
9 Migration and cultural hybridity: circulation of myths among communities and the recomposition of symbolic landscapes;
10 Sustainability and the urban future: myths as narrative drivers of resistance or urban renewal.
Languages of the Congress:
Portuguese, Spanish, French, English and Italian.
During the session, audio and/or video recordings may be made. These may be used in communication or promotional materials for the ‘Mitografias: themes and variations’ sub-group (CLLC-UA) and the Portuguese Catholic University of Lisbon (citer.ft@ucp.pt).
