The Universitats Estacionals of Sagunto and La Canal de Navarrés will focus their debates on the topics ‘Sagunto: World Heritage Site. Keys for heritage management’ and ‘Cave art and development in La Canal de Navarrés’. Thus, this year, the UV goes on with the programming of an open and free initiative, which counts on an online option.
The universities of Sagunto and La Canal de Navarrés sessions will be held this week on Thursday and Friday in the afternoon. From then on, the intense programming of the initiative promoted by the Universitat de València (UV) will continue through the Office of the Vice-Principal for Territorial Projection and Society, in its commitment to the territory and the Valencian society, always present in every inland and coastal region.
The Universitats Estacionals are an initiative promoted by the UV and organized with the city councils, the collaboration of the Diputació de València (Regional Council of València) and Caixa Popular. Its main purpose is to promote the dissemination of knowledge and debate around a monographic subject linked to the singularity of each territory, taking into account its idiosyncrasy, history and culture, under the coordination of an expert in the subject.
In this year 2020, the challenge of holding 20 Universitats Estacionals has been achieved in spite of the restrictions and difficulties generated by COVID-19. On this account, the only face-to-face editions were in Requena and Cofrentes, being Gandia’s following edition online.
The discussion session, which is free and open to the general public, is being held this year in a blended learning format in compliance with the safety measures against COVID-19. In fact, the limitations imposed by the health crisis, far from constituting an obstacle, have turned into an opportunity since there is a telematics attendance alternative via streaming sessions (mediauniweb.uv.es/universitatestacional). The UV will facilitate registration through this website (http://projeccio.uv.es) and will provide the pertinent certificate of attendance to whom take part in the sessions, whether it is face-to-face or online.
In a year marked by the exceptional circumstances of the health crisis, almost all the Universitats Estacionals –name referring to the sessions being held in one of the four seasons of the year– have concentrated in autumn since the sessions are being held in just two months, between mid-October and mid-December. Precisely as a result of this necessary adjustment, the first edition of the Universitat Estacional de Primavera de Sagunto was held on 29 October, two weeks before the Universitat Estacional d’Estiu de Sagunto, which will be held for the fourth time this Thursday.
For the first time this year, the Universitats Estacionals have also been grouped into four thematic areas: ‘Historic and Cultural Heritage’; ‘Territorial Innovation’; Education and Social Welfare; and ‘Biodiversity and Environment’. Both the Universitat Estacional de Sagunto and La Canal de Navarrés sessions, which are being held this week, are constituents of the ‘Historic and Cultural Heritage’ thematic area.
Universitat Estacional de Sagunt
The Universitat Estacional de Sagunto holds this year the fourth edition in the Cultural Centre Mario Monreal under the title ‘Sagunto: World Heritage Site. Keys for heritage management’.
Furthermore, it counts on the presence of experts of the UV on cultural heritage and on various areas of society. This session is part of the process set in motion by the municipality for Sagunto to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This year’s edition focuses on cultural management tools, their analysis and evaluation, considering good practices for example.
The opening ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. with the speech of the Mayor of Sagunto, Darío Moreno Lerga: The Vice-Principal for Territorial Projection and Society of the UV, Jorge Hermosilla Pla; the coordinator of this Universitat Estacional, Ester Alba Pagán; the councillor of Sagunto and president of the Advisory Council of World Heritage of Sagunto Town Council, Quico Fernández Carrasco; and representatives of the Council of València and Caixa Popular.
Then, four conferences are being held. The first conference, sponsored by the Agencia Valenciana Antifraude, will be given by UV lecturers, within the framework of the project ‘Activities for good governance and citizenship in València’. María Dolores Pitarch, from the Department of Geography of the UV, will speak about ‘Strategies for enhancing the cultural heritage of a territory’. Subsequently, Adriá Besó Ros, Department of Art History, on ‘Management strategies for the preservation of cultural heritage. The case of the Universitat de València’s heritage’. And Mar Gaitán Salvatella, from the Department of Art History of the UV, will talk about ‘Value analysis of heritage management models in UNESCO’.
A debate moderated by the coordinator of this Universitat Estacional and professor of the Art History Department of the UV, Ester Alba Pagán, who will conclude the conference.
Universitat Estacional de La Canal de Navarrés
This Friday afternoon, the Universitat Estacional de La Canal de Navarrés holds it first edition at the Casa de la Cultura de Bolbaite. Under the title ‘Cave art and development in La Canal de Navarrés’, experts from the UV will tackle the value of heritage related to cave art and will put in context some keys to the development of this territory.
La Canal de Navarrés area is provided with natural and cultural resources that bestow on it a great value. From prehistoric times, human groups have been in direct contact with nature and have found in these valleys, cliffs and mountains necessary elements for their lives, leaving a mark of their presence on archaeological sites and on artistic manifestations, such as cave art, which has been declared World Heritage Site.
Levantine cave art constitutes an excellent territorial resource for this inland Valencian region. An example would be the Cueva de la Araña, reference site which was discovered a hundred years ago. From this stems the UV’s interest in organizing an Universitat Estacional on this topic and opening up a space for reflection on rural development, the creation of interesting tourist products and the promotion of innovative activities with sustainability criteria in the region.
The opening ceremony will take place at 5 p.m., with Carolina Mas speech, president of La Canal de Navarrés community; Jorge Hermosilla Pla, Vice-Principal for Territorial Projection and Society of the UV; Paula Jardón, coordinator of this Universitat Estacional and of the Department of Experimental and Social Sciences Education (UV); and representatives of the Council of València and Caixa Popular.
Valentín Villaverde, Department of Prehistory and Archaeology (UV), will give a lecture on ‘Levantine cave art, from La Canal de Navarrés to World Heritage Site’. Trinidad Martínez, archaeologist and specialist on Cave Art of La Canal de Navarrés’. Emilio Iranzo, Department of Geography (UV), on ‘Rural landscapes as a resource for well-being and local development’. Oreto García, Department of Prehistory and Archaeology (UV), on ‘Master Plan on Eastern Mediterranean Cave Art’.
A debate moderated by Paula Jardón, the coordinator of this Universitat Estacional, who will conclude the conference.
An interesting and intense activity until the end of the year
The continuation of the intense programming of the Universitats Estacionals in the last quarter of the year will take place in Llíria’s Universitat Estacional, which will focus its debates on ‘Music as an interdisciplinary educational tool’, on 20 November; the Universitat Estacional of Ontinyent, in ‘Times for learning’ from 23-26 November; Xàtiva’s Universitat Estacional, ‘Sustainable development purposes and the application of virtual reality in cultural destinations’, 24 November; and Oliva’s Universitat Estacional, on ‘Education, Coexistence and Citizenship’, 25 November.
The main topic of the Universitat Estacional of Alzira is ‘The Valencian environment. Effects of COVID-19 confinement on the environment: fake news, exaggerations and realities’, 4 December; Ayora’s Universitat Estacional ‘The culture of honey: past, present and future’ 10 December; and the Universitat Estacional of Rincón de Ademuz, on ‘Planning and management of the landscape and territory: local development and welfare’, 12 December. The Universitat Estacional of Alto Turia will discuss on ‘New Biosphere Reserve on Alto Turia: Opportunities and Challenges’, date to be confirmed, in December.
Universitats Estacionals by thematic areas
To begin with, Cullera, Buñol, Llíria, Sagunto (summer’s edition), Canal de Navarrés and Xátiva will focus on ‘Historic and Cultural Heritage’. Afterwards, Alaquàs, Aras de los Olmos, l’Eliana, Enguera and Ayora in terms of ‘Territorial Innovation’. Then, Sagunto (spring’s edition), Ontinyent and Oliva on ‘Education and Social Welfare’. And finally, Alto Turia, Alzira and Ricón de Ademuz on ‘Biodiversity and Landscape’.
