University of Turku
24–26 August 2026
1 ECTS

We invite applications from PhD students and other early-career researchers to take part in the DIGHT-Net summer school on theorising digital cultural heritage, which will take place at the University of Turku in Finland from 24 to 26 August 2026.

Since the early 2000s, the acceleration of digital technologies has led to an unprecedented abundance of both born‑digital and digitised cultural heritage. Today, digital cultural heritage takes numerous forms, from tweets to scanned manuscripts and 3D models of architectural sites. However, what we can access on a global scale in the digital age remains restricted to relatively scarce resources, concentrated mainly in the Western world. Practices of heritagisation and the designation of heritage raise questions related to the intersections between analogue and digital forms of transmitting knowledge and experiences from the past. Practices of collecting, curating, documenting, and preserving digital data, and therefore choosing what is considered valuable and worth saving for future generations, are tied to (historical) knowledge production, power relations, identity work, and the politics of memory. In the digital age, both online and offline practices of storing, using, and interpreting tangible and intangible cultural heritage are constantly re‑evoking, reshaping, and reimagining our relationship to the past. Accordingly, the broader implications of how available resources shape what is researched and remembered remain vital for the study of digital cultural heritage.

The second DIGHT-Net summer school explores the conceptual framework of digital cultural heritage and promotes interdisciplinary discussion around the theme of theorising digital cultural heritage. It invites PhD researchers to examine how the digitisation of cultural heritage, together with rapidly evolving technologies, both challenges established research paradigms and opens up new avenues for scholarly innovation. The summer school examines newly emerging critical vocabularies and working concepts of digital cultural heritage and uncovers their theoretical underpinnings. Lectures and workshops will address critical discussions surrounding different aspects of digital cultural heritage and explore what are the key concepts of digital cultural heritage of today and tomorrow.

Topics include:

• Processes of heritagisation
• Digital hybridity
• Digital vs. non-digital
• Working with digital archives
• Conceptualising digital cultural heritage
• Data and cultural research
• Critical gameheritage
• 3-D modelling and historical XR experience
• Cultural heritage learning

The summer school aims to bring together young scholars and international experts from diverse academic fields to engage in critical discussions on various aspects of digital cultural heritage. It also seeks to support early-career researchers in refining their methodological toolkit and situating their work within broader debates on digital transformation.

Lecturers:

The summer school is taught by a team of distinguished professors and international experts from the University of Turku, the University of Amsterdam, the University of Bologna and Tallinn University.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Prof. Anne Alvesalo-Kuusi (University of Turku)
• Associate prof. Sophie Berrebi (University of Amsterdam)
• Adjunct Prof. Dr. Kimmo Elo (University of Turku)
• Prof. Indrek Ibrus (Tallinn University)
• Adjunct Prof. Dr. Lauri Kemppinen (University of Turku)
• Prof. Veronika Laippala (University of Turku)
• Prof. Anna Maria Lorusso (University of Bologna)
• Prof. Giovanni Maddalena (University of Bologna)
• Associate Prof. Francesco Mazzucchelli (University of Bologna)
• Dr. Christian Olesen (University of Amsterdam)
• Prof. Marek Tamm (Tallinn University)
• Prof. Hannu Salmi (University of Turku)
• Prof. Panu Savolainen (Aalto University)
• Prof. Jaakko Suominen (University of Turku

Participation and application

The summer school welcomes PhD students from various disciplines and backgrounds, and advanced MA students and recent doctoral graduates are also eligible to apply. During the three-day international summer school, participants will have the opportunity to receive feedback from international experts, engage in collaborative discussions and workshops, and take part in outside-the-classroom activities and site visits in the Turku region.

To apply, please submit the following documents by May 22, 2026 to TDCHSummerSchool@utu.fi

• A brief description of yourPhDor MA project (max. 1 A4 page)
• A short motivation letter (max. 1 A4 page)

Notifications of acceptance will be sent by May 30, 2026.

Participation is free of charge. Coffee, lunch, and dinner will be provided for the participants. Accommodation will be provided for those travelling from outside of Turku. Please note, however, that travel expenses are not covered.

Maximum number of participants: 16

Organisers:

• HannuSalmi (University of Turku)
• Petri Paju (University of Turku)
• Heidi Hakkarainen (University of Turku)

Contact information

If you have any questions or would like to have more information about the summer school, please contact: TDCHSummerSchool@utu.fi

The summer school is part of and funded by the DIGHT-Net project, Sustainable, Usable and Visible Digital Cultural Heritage: Twinning for Excellence, supported by the Horizon Europe Twinning programme (https://dight-net.tlu.ee/).

The full Call for Participants can be downloaded here.