What is Apheleia?

Apheleia is an annual international seminar held in Mação, dedicated to critical reflection on the relationship between imagination, creativity, knowledge and cultural heritage.

In practical terms, Apheleia functions as an interdisciplinary meeting space, bringing together researchers, academics, students and cultural practitioners to discuss new ways of thinking about, interpreting and valuing heritage — both tangible and intangible — from a contemporary, critical and innovative perspective.

Main Characteristics of Apheleia

• A strong academic foundation, combined with openness to intellectual experimentation
• A clear international dimension, with participants from different countries and academic traditions
• A thematic focus on:
  • Imagination and creativity
  • Cultural heritage and landscape
  • Science, arts and humanities
  • Ethics, memory and identity
  • Education and cultural innovation
• Promotion of interdisciplinary dialogue, connecting archaeology, anthropology, arts, geosciences, education and cultural studies

Organisation

Apheleia is organised by the Institute of Earth and Memory, often in partnership with higher education institutions such as the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar.

The seminar is part of a broader strategy aimed at:

• Knowledge production
• Advanced training
• International projection of Mação as a territory of science, culture and innovation

In Summary

Apheleia is not merely a traditional academic conference. It is a laboratory of ideas in which heritage is understood as a living, creative and socially relevant process.