The 12th Tensions of Europe Conference

Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

8-10 July, 2026

Conference theme: The meaning of the past in sustainable futures

In seeking to understand the pluralistic and multidimensional global challenges of our time, long-term perspectives appear more relevant than ever. Shifting geopolitical dynamics are reshaping Europe’s positioning, self-image, and its ambitions in a global context. These shifts require historians to critically revisit established narratives of how – within and beyond Europe – its material culture has shaped and re-shaped livelihoods; how its infrastructures and trade networks have connected and disconnected localities; or how transnational elites, businesses, users, and local practices co-produced Europeanness.

At the 12th Tensions of Europe (ToE) Conference, we would like to explore and discuss what it means for European and non-European scholars to write ‘European’ histories of ‘technology’ in a pluriverse world. From such an engagement, we want to co-develop fresh ideas on how a European historiography of technology can inform and contribute to current agendas for inclusive and green transitions. In what ways do aspirations for equitable and inclusive relations intersect with legacies of the past?

This evokes questions about the role of migration, local knowledge, formal and informal networks, both within and beyond Europe. What are the legacies of Europe’s diverse historical trajectories and its influence on relationships within and beyond its borders? How did transnational dependencies and evolving relationships shape the current crises within and outside Europe? Which alternative perspectives on eco-modernist approaches to sustainability can help forge the agenda for a just and green transition?

Special attention can be paid to the following themes: (1) Infrastructures as drivers or obstacles to social and ecological changes. (2) Equality and equity for various societal groups involved and affected by technological changes in and beyond Europe. (3) Digital and other global network technologies in (re)shaping power, knowledge, production and consumption. We also welcome contributions on topics related to general themes in the history of technology and neighboring fields of interest to the Tensions of Europe network (https://www.tensionsofeurope.eu/network/) such as histories of trans-border flows, common resources, energy, finance, ICT, mobility, circularity and waste, conflicting interests, hidden integration, and cultural practices.

As a part of the Conference, a Summer School for early career scholars will precede it, co-organized with the ToE Early career scholar network. The Summer School includes discussing texts relevant for the current topic, research in progress with established researchers and an excursion.

The Tensions of Europe Conference is organized biennially by an interdisciplinary community of scholars who study the historical shaping of Europe through the lens of technology and material culture (www.tensionsofeurope.eu/). We encourage constructive interactions between historians of technology and scholars from all other fields of the humanities and social sciences.

The 12th Tensions of Europe Conference will be held at the campus of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). It will be organized by the Eindhoven History Lab (www.eindhovenhistorylab.nl/) part of Technology Innovation and Society research group of TU/e in collaboration with the 4TU History of Technology center (https://www.4tu.nl/history-of-technology/), uniting Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology, the University of Twente, and Wageningen University & Research.

Welcome to Eindhoven in July 2026!

Program

Below you find a short overview of the program. A detailed program can be found here (forthcoming).

Wednesday July 8th
10.00 – 18.00 Registration
12.00 – 12.30 Opening of Conference
12.30 – 17.45 Parallel sessions
18.00 – 19.00 Keynote Presentation
19.00 – 20.30 Opening Reception
Thursday July 9th
9.00 – 12.15 Parallel sessions
12.15 – 12.45 My PhD in 10 minutes
13.30 – 15.00 Parallel sessions
15.15 –  16.15 Keynote Presentation
16.30 – 20.00 Excursions
Friday July 10th
9.00 – 12.15 Parallel sessions
12.15 – 12.45 ToE Open Management Meeting
12.45 -13.15 My PhD in 10 minutes
14.00 – 17-15 Parallel sessions
18.30 Social Event
Saturday July 11th
11.00-16.00 Day Excursion

 

Parallel sessions consist of Panel sessions, Individual papers, Making & Doing sessions, Micro Workshops and Book Podcast sessions.

Micro Workshop sessions are open to all participants, have pre-circulated papers. These can be found here (forthcoming).

Making & Doing sessions consist of historical work and experimental practices that are presented interactively.

Book Podcast sessions are live podcasts discussing recently published books. The podcasts will be shared through https://newbooksnetwork.com. If you want to participate and have a new book you want to discuss, mention this at registration (forthcoming).

Registration

You can register your participation to the conference, excursions, social event participation and book here (forthcoming).

Registration:

  • Early Bird registration from April 1st to May 15th
  • Regular registration from May 15th to June 20th
  • Late registration from June 20th

Excursions and Social Events

  • Opening reception (free)
  • Excursions (descriptions see below) – Thursday starting at 16.30
    • TU/e Campus tour – including clean room (behind glass) (free)
    • TU/e Campus tour – including wind tunnel (free)
    • Philips Museum Tour (tba)
    • Regenerated Leather Works & Steam Engine in Oisterwijk by train (25 euro)
    • Bike Tour – Vincent Van Gogh village Nuenen (25 euro)
  • Social Event: Party in Heritage – Friday starting at 18.30 (tba)
  • Day Excursion (Saturday)

Eindhoven

The Tensions of Europe Conference will take place in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, from 8–10 July 2026.

Eindhoven is located in the southern province of North Brabant and is widely known as the technological and design capital of the country.

Eindhoven is at the heart of the so called Brainport region—one of Europe’s leading innovation ecosystems—bringing together industry, research institutions, and education. The presence of Eindhoven University of Technology contributes to its strong focus on engineering, design, and applied sciences.

Unlike many historic Dutch cities, Eindhoven’s development is closely tied to its transformation in the 20th century into a major industrial and innovation hub. The city’s rapid growth was driven by Philips, which was founded in Eindhoven in 1891 and played a central role in shaping its economic and social landscape. Later, companies such as ASML further strengthened Eindhoven’s global position in high-tech industries.

Although much of the city was heavily damaged during World War II and subsequently rebuilt, Eindhoven has developed a distinctive modern character. It is particularly renowned for its creative and experimental spirit, exemplified by the annual Dutch Design Week, one of the largest design events in Northern Europe.

During the Tensions of Europe Conference, participants will have the opportunity to explore Eindhoven’s unique blend of industrial heritage, contemporary architecture, and vibrant cultural scene, as well as its surrounding Brabant landscape.

Image: The Philips Light-tower an Eindhoven icon. Source: Rosemoon (Wikimedia Commons)

Venue – Eindhoven University of Technology


The Tensions of Europe conference 2026 takes place at the campus Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). The campus is situated at walking distance from Eindhoven Central railway station. The Conference will take place in the Atlas (main) building of the university.

A map of TU/e campus and information of getting there can be found here: https://www.tue.nl/en/our-university/tue-campus

Image: Atlas building of Eindhoven University of Technology. Source: Choinowski (Wikimedia Commons)

Travelling to Eindhoven

By Train

There are direct train connects to Eindhoven

  • From Utrecht Central Station. Ca. 50 minutes by train every 15-20 minutes.
  • From Rotterdam Central Station. Ca. 60 minutes by train every 20-30 minutes.
  • From Amsterdam Central Station. Ca. 80 minutes by train every 15-20 minutes.

Information on the train services can be found here: https://www.ns.nl/en

By Airplane

There are direct public transport connections to Eindhoven Central Station:

  • From Amsterdam Airport Schiphol: approx 80 minutes by train every 15-20 minutes.
  • From Eindhoven Airport: take bus 400 or 401 from the airport to Eindhoven Centraal Station (approx. 20–25 minutes).

By Car

There is ample parking space and possibilities for charging electric vehicles at the TU/e campus . Please note that parking fees apply. More information on parking and changing can be found here: https://www.tue.nl/en/our-university/tue-campus/accessibility

Walking around in Eindhoven

Eindhoven is very a walkable city. However many residents prefer the bicycle. There are three mobility service providers in Eindhoven:bikes by Dott (https://ridedott.com/), scooters by Felyx (https://www.felyx.com/) and cargo bikes by Cargoroo (https://cargoroo.nl/). All three can be accessed via the Eindhoven Unmob app:  https://eindhoven.umob.app/.

Excursions – Thursday from 16.30

Campus Tours (free with registration)

Eindhoven University of Technology was established in 1957 as part of the reconstruction efforts after World War 2. This tour will take you through our campus that breaths the modernistic visions of the 1960s combined with contemporary views of landscape and office design. During the tour you will also visit one of the laboratories and receive information on the types of research happing. Depending of the choice of your tour this is the nano-lab clean room (we will not enter to not contaminated the lab – but view it behind a glass wall) or the 47m long wind tunnel. More info at: https://www.tue.nl/en/research/research-groups/nanolabtue/nanolabtue https://www.tue.nl/en/research/research-labs/wind-tunnel

Philips Museum Tour (more details tba)

Eindhoven is the home of the multinational Philips, that was founded in 1891, producing light bulbs. It expanded to consumer, business and medical electronics in the twentieth century. These expansions shaped the city of Eindhoven. Eindhoven became the city of light, the Philips Sports Associations (PSV) and the Philips villages.  Its research and spin-offs created today´s Brainport region in which Philips´ spin off ASML is a global leader in semiconductor equipment. The Philips museum is housed in the small factory where it all began in 1891. In the museum you will get a guided and an explanation on how this story of a company, a town and a region is told and shared. More info at: https://www.philips.nl/en/a-w/philips-museum.html

Regenerated Leather Works & Steam Engine in Oisterwijk by train (25 euro)  

This tour will involves a 20 minutes train ride to the village of Oisterwijk, where the industrial complex of the former Royal Leatherworks Factory (KVF) is revitalized into a multi purpose center that includes apartments, a hotel, offices, a brewery and shops. The tour will also take you to the impressive steam engines that once ran one of Europe´s largest leader factories. There you will get explanations by the dedicated volunteers that maintain this piece of industrial heritage. The will also take you to the large underground network of tunnels. More info at: https://destoommachine.nl/homepagina-engels/

Bike Tour – Vincent Van Gogh village Nuenen (25 euro)

This tour by bicycle of ca. 15km we will take you along the infamous bicycle lanes of the Netherlands to the village of Nuenen. From December 1883 until November1885 the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh lived in the village where his father was the protestant vicar. Here create about a quarter of his repertoire including the ´Potato Eaters´. During the bicycle route we will visit sites that Van Gogh immortalized in his paintings. The tour includes a rental bike and helmet.

 

Image: Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen (Source: Vincent van Gogh, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

 

Social Event: Party in Heritage – Friday from 18.30

Tensions of Europe conferences have a great tradition when it comes to social events. In Eindhoven this event will take place in the once ´forbidden city´ within Eindhoven, in the former Philips complex of Strijp-S. In 1916 Anton Philips built the first factory in Strijp-S, a glass factory for incandescent light bulbs. Later, the Philips Physics Laboratory was opened in 1914. In Strijp-S radios, televisions and other consumer electronics were massively produced. The Philips company abandoned these production sites gradually since the 1990s and in the early 2000s the land was returned to the city. Since then the area has been transforming. It became a destination for the creative sector, including technology and design, under the English headline Old Buildings, New Ideas. The old factory buildings are a perfect place for creative studios, shops and restaurants. In this place, where bustling activities are revived, we will conclude the Tensions of Europe conference 2026 with a nice diner, dance and activities that need to remain a surprise for now…

Image: Strijp-S Eindhoven. Source: Nanda Sluijsmans (Wikimedia Commons)