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IFPH highlights continuity, sustainability, and academic planning at its AGM

Author: Michel Kobelinski, Associate Professor at the State University of Paraná, Brazil.


stefy, 2015.  Monument to the Discoveries, Lisbon. [source]
Set against the Monument to the Discoveries, IFPH 2026 Lisbon invites us to move beyond celebration and engage critically with memory, justice, and the contested legacies of the past.

At its Annual General Meeting on 18 March 2026, the International Federation for Public History reaffirmed its commitment to continuity, financial sustainability, academic development, and international collaboration. More than a formal governance moment, the meeting offered a clear sense of direction, marking a leadership transition while renewing the Federation’s broader public and scholarly mission.

The AGM also gave a chance to thank outgoing Steering Committee members. Their service sustained the Federation through demanding years marked by challenge and persistence. In her reflections, outgoing President Tanya Evans stressed the pressures on an international organisation built on voluntary labour and goodwill. She also highlighted the enduring importance of trust, collegiality, and shared responsibility in shaping IFPH’s future.

At the same meeting, the Federation confirmed its new Steering Committee. Olwen Purdue will serve as President, Joëlla van Donkersgoed as Treasurer, Michel Kobelinski as Secretary, and Jimena Perry, Igor Pizzirusso, Joanna Wojdon, Joana Vidal de Azevedo Dias Pereira, and Na Li as Delegates. This new phase begins with a clear commitment to strengthen internal coordination, improve communication, and consolidate the routines that support the Federation’s wider academic and public work.

Discussions at the AGM highlighted the importance of stable governance and long-term sustainability, while also underscoring the vitality of the Federation’s ongoing initiatives. The journal International Public History continues to evolve, having fully embraced open access and expanded its multilingual reach in 2025.

The meeting also reflected the growing energy of the IFPH Explorers programme. This programme has become one of the Federation’s most dynamic spaces for mentoring, exchange, and international engagement. Between 2020 and 2025, Explorers organised more than 120 events. Participants from over 30 countries across five continents took part, creating opportunities for students, scholars, and practitioners to connect across diverse public history contexts.

That wider international horizon remains central to the Federation’s work. As Tanya Evans noted in her annual report, the IFPH has been placing particular emphasis on expanding its presence in the Global South and among non-English-speaking communities. This commitment is already evident in the growing diversity of participation across the Federation’s initiatives and in the strong international interest in the Lisbon 2026 Conference.

If the AGM made one thing especially clear, it is that the Federation enters this new chapter with both realism and momentum. Just as importantly, the meeting reaffirmed that the IFPH’s future will continue to depend on what has sustained it at its best: collaborative effort, intellectual generosity, and a shared belief in public history as an international and outward-looking field.


 Michel Kobelinski is an Associate Professor at the State University of Paraná, Brazil. He is a historian, museupedagogue, and currently serves as Secretary of the International Federation for Public History (IFPH-FIHP). His research focuses on public history, museums, heritage, and places of memory.

OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Bridging Editor (March 30, 2026). IFPH highlights continuity, sustainability, and academic planning at its AGM. IFPH-FIHP. Retrieved April 10, 2026 from https://doi.org/10.58079/15z9c


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