From 16 to 20 September 2025, the University of Aveiro (UA) will host the 40th Edition of the European Seminar for Ethnomusicology (ESEM) and the 5th Meeting of the National Committee of the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance (ICTMD), which will take place in the Academic Hall (Sala de Atos Académicos) of the Central and Rectory Building at UA.
Organised by the Institute of Ethnomusicology – Centre for Studies in Music and Dance (INET-md) in collaboration with the Department of Communication and Art at the University of Aveiro, this international gathering will bring together nearly 70 speakers from 31 countries.
Founded in 1981 in Belfast by the ethnomusicologist John Blacking (1928–1990), ESEM began as a European network of ethnomusicology specialists but quickly evolved into a global platform welcoming researchers from around the world. The ESEM community is distinguished by its diversity and its commitment to values such as respect, equality, and inclusion. It also serves as a space for sharing news, publications, job opportunities, and recent events in the field.
The 2025 edition will be held in conjunction with the 5th Meeting of the Portuguese National Committee of the ICTMD.
In keeping with ESEM’s tradition, the meeting will not include parallel sessions, thus encouraging collective discussion of the most recent research. In this 40th edition, the focus will be on three key themes: “Music and Climate Change: Sound Ecologies and Environmental Ethnomusicology,” “The Future of Ethnomusicology: Reflexivity, Ethics, and Digital Challenges,” and “The Politics of Sounding and Listening: Power, Resistance, and Cultural Heritage
The John Blacking Memorial Lecture will be delivered by the Argentine anthropologist and ethnomusicologist Miguel A. García, who is internationally renowned for his research in the fields of the epistemology of music and music and sound archives.
Programme Committee
- Susana Sardo (Chair) – Universidade de Aveiro, INET-md
- Ana Flávia Miguel (Co-Chair) – Universidade de Aveiro, INET-md
- Juliana Pérez (Co-Chair) – Universidade de Aveiro, INET-md
- Filippo Bonini Baraldi – Nova, FCSH – INET-md
- Fulvia Caruso – Università di Pavia
- Salwa El-Shawan Castelo Branco – Nova, FCSH – INET-md
- Rui Marques – Universidade do Minho – INET-md
- Pedro Moreira – Universidade de Évora – CESEM
- Mojca Piškor – Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research, Zagreb
- Jorge Castro Ribeiro – Universidade de Aveiro, INET-md
Local Arrangements Committee
- Susana Sardo – Universidade de Aveiro, INET-md
- Ana Flávia Miguel – Universidade de Aveiro, INET-md
- Jorge Castro Ribeiro – Universidade de Aveiro, INET-md
- Alicia Pajón Fernández – Universidade de Aveiro, INET-md
- Juliana Pérez – Universidade de Aveiro, INET-md
- Cristiano Tsope – Universidade de Aveiro, INET-md
- Jailson Raulino – Universidade de Aveiro, INET-md
- Marina Pacheco – Universidade de Aveiro, INET-md
