Ateneo - UPO

HISTORY OF CULTURAL HERITAGE; DISCUSSION ABOUT HERITAGE FROM THE LOCAL TO THE GLOBAL SCALE. CONTESTED CULTURAL HERITAGE.

The 2 books indicated below:
-C. Tosco, "I beni culturali. Storia, tutela e valorizzazione", Il Mulino, Bologna, 2014.
-A. Testi, “I fastidi della storia. Quale America raccontano i monumenti”, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2023.
The 4 articles indicated below (all the articles will be made available in DIR and they are in free download for Uniupo students):
- A. Lanza, “Chi davvero abbatte i monumenti? Note su memoria, storiografia e statue”, 02/02/2021, in storiamestre.it: https://storiamestre.it/2021/02/chi-davvero-abbatte-i-monumenti/
-A. Lanza, “Fra cancel culture e uniformità. Note dal Canada sul principio decoloniale”, in «Quaderni storici», 171, 2022.
- J. Clifford, “Four Northwest Coast Museums: Travel Reflections”, in “Routes. Travel and
Translation in the Late Twentieth Century”, Harvard 1997: http://faculty.washington.edu/kbunn/cliffordNWC.PDF
-J. Clifford, History of the tribal and the modern, in “The predicament of culture”, Harvard 1988, pp. 189-214
https://monoskop.org/images/e/eb/Clifford_James_1988_Histories_of_the_Tribal_and_the_Modern.pdf

Attending students: Tosco’s book + Testi’s book / or Tosco’s book + chap. Introduzione, III, V, VI of Testi’s book + 4 articles.
For non attending students: Tosco’s book + Testi’s book + 2 of the 4 articles.

The course focuses on category of heritage, and its meanings and transformations in different periods and contexts, with particular attention to the relationship with collections, in an interdisciplinary way (history, art history, natural sciences, anthropology); the course discuss meaning of the relationship between "culture" and patrimonialization and discuss the importance of conflicts in the history of cultural heritage.
The course has the following objectives at a basic level: -Knowledge and understanding: acquiring the general knowledge about the history of cultural heritage, and the ability to study autonomously the historiography on this topic; -Expression of judgments: knowing how to analyze at a basic level the history of cultural heritage, and that of its “objects” (collections; culture; nature.); -Communication skills: ability to communicate, at a basic level, the history of cultural heritage; -Study skills: ability to approach the historiographic literature and the sources of the history of cultural heritage.
The course has the following objectives at an advanced level: -Knowledge and understanding: acquiring a full knowledge of the history of cultural heritage, and the critical ability to study autonomously the historiography on this topic; -Expression of judgments: knowing how to analyze
autonomously and in a critical way the history of cultural heritage, and that of its “objects” (collections; culture; nature.); -Communication skills: ability to communicate, to a large public but also with a scientific language, the history of cultural heritage; -Study skills: ability to critically approach the historiographic literature and the sources of the history of cultural heritage.

Basic historical knowledge (modern and contemporary history).

Frontal lessons; critical reading of the bibliography; critical analysis of the main historiographic methodologies and of the historical sources. At the request of course participants, it will be possible for students to do individual text presentation exercises during class.

Some texts and other material will be provided on DIR – Didattica In Rete. Students are therefore advised to register on the platform, where notices and communications will also be posted.

Oral exam, about 20 minutes.
The questions will assess: the student's ability to contextualize the topics learned in time and space; the acquisition of an organic vision of the disciplinary issues; the ability to use them into a coherent and correct exposition, also with a scientific language; the personal critical elaboration of the topics.
The exam is divided into 3-4 questions and concerns on the indicated bibliography, as well as for students attending, on the topics discussed during the lessons. The questions will concern: the main issues of history of cultural heritage (Tosco’s book), and the insights concerning the history of conflicts for cultural heritage (Testi’s book and other articles).
Vote, expressed in thirtieths, takes place on the basis of the following parameters: 1) knowledge of the fundamental notions of bibliography and, for attending students, of the topics covered during the lessons (20 points out of 30); 2) reasoning skills critic on the topics (5 points out of 30); 3) ability to express and communicate, and to use a scientific language (5 points out of 30).
The exam will be successful if the sum of 18/30 is reached or exceeded. It will be evaluated as excellent: an accurate knowledge of topics, articulated synthesis and criticism skills; excellent expressive mastery. It will be evaluated as fairly good: knowledge of topics that is not entirely punctually, and the use of correct but not completely scientific language. It will be evaluated as adequate: basic knowledge of the program that does not go beyond the brief presentation of the issues, the inability to express a critical approach, and the use of a language not entirely correct and appropriate. It will be valuated as inadequate: obvious gaps in the study, inability to orient themselves within the issues and use of incorrect and inappropriate language.

The course will focus on the definition of the term "cultural heritage", and on its variations in different periods and contexts (one part will be devoted to a discussion of the Italian case-study; an in-depth discussion will cover the North American contemporary discussion). The link that collections of objects have with the history of cultural heritage, and with many disciplines (history, art history, natural sciences, anthropology) will be analyzed. The topics of the course will be constantly analyzed in connection with the current applications in history research and teaching methodology, also through the exemplification and development of didactic exercises.
• The concept of cultural heritage. • The concept of collection and that of heritage: a historical approach. • The history of heritage and protection: I. From the dimension of the sacred to the first interventions of protection in Roman period. • The history of heritage and protection: II. From the Middle Ages to the French Revolution. • The history of heritage and protection: III. The nineteenth century. • The history of heritage and protection: IV. The twentieth century: from the concept of monument to that of cultural heritage. • Protection and its tools: international cases and Italian peculiarities. • The debate on the concept of enhancement. • Contested cultural heritage and the contemporary debate on heritage and memory.

To achieve sufficient knowledge and skills, the student has to demonstrate: Knowledge: -to know chronology, themes and categories of the history of cultural heritage in modern and contemporary period, and its interdisciplinary applications. -to know the main problems concerning the discussion about cultural heritage, and the dynamics of protection and enhancement. -to know the general features of the historiographical discussions on the themes of conflicts on cultural heritage, and the relationship between "culture" and patrimonialization. Competence: -ability to analyze issues of the history of cultural heritage in a critical way. Transversal skills: -ability to clearly communicate issues discussed during the lessons, with a proper language and with a scientific terminology.
To achieve an advanced level, the student must also demonstrate that he/she has: -an organic vision of the topics; synthesis and analysis skills; -capacity for personal and critical processing of the topics; -ability to deepen theoretical and methodological issues of history in general, and in particular concerning heritage studies.