The IFCU President and Rector of the Catholic University of Portugal, Isabel Capeloa Gil, was one of the guest speakers at the conference to launch the International Research Group on Memory and Identity, which took place on 25 May at the Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre. This is an initiative of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), organized in partnership with the University of Saint Joseph and the Macau Cultural and Scientific Center.
The group is composed of researchers from several institutions, members of FIUC. Among them are the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP); the University of Notre Dame, in Australia; the Saint Paul Institute, in Cambodia; the University of Saint Joseph, in Macau, China; the University Notre Dame-Louaize, in Lebanon; the University of Santo Tomas, in the Philippines and the University of St Mary, in the United Kingdom.
In the occasion, the Rector of UCP and IFCU president, Isabel Capeloa Gil, presented the article “Memory and Identity: Treading New Ground on Human Rights Discussions“, which was followed by the interventions of Stephen Bullivant (University of Notre Dame), Clarence Batan, (University of Santo Tomas, Philippines), and Edward Alam (University of Notre Dame-Louaize, Lebanon).
In the text, presented in August 2022 at the 28th ASEACCU Annual Conference, under the theme “Memory and Identity “, which took place in Phonm Penh, Isabel Capeloa Gil, states that “memory and identity are interconnected, playing a crucial role in the formation of cultural and political identities,” adding that “memory studies have emerged to address past traumatic events and give meaning through cultural intimacy.”