Melbourne Conference, 13th March 2o27
We are pleased to announce the Mechanics’ Institutes Australia Bicentenary 2027 Seminar: Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future.
On Saturday the 13th March 2027, we will celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mechanics’ Institutes in Australia, marking this significant milestone with a day long conference at the Melbourne Athenaeum, followed by a bus tour of selected Melbourne and regional institutes on Sunday the 14th March.
The program will be organised around two thematic streams:
History — exploring the development and legacy of Mechanics’ Institutes in Australia
Future — examining their evolving role and opportunities ahead
We invite submissions of abstracts aligned with either stream in the following formats:
Presentations (20 minutes)
Lightning talks (8 minutes)
Workshops (90 minutes)
We welcome both academic and practice-based contributions, and encourage submissions from anyone with an interest in, or knowledge of, Mechanics’ Institutes.
For proposals focusing on the history of individual institutes, we recommend the lightning talk format, as part of a planned session showcasing a range of institutional histories.
The call for papers closes on the 15th August. Registration opens 1st September, program will be announced in November.