Abstract

This volume is the outcome of the Una Europa PhD Workshop “Dissonant Heritage: Concepts, Critiques, Cases,” which took place simultaneously at the Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna and at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków in November 2021. The book explores dissonant heritage in relation to three primary cross-cutting themes: (1) unveiling the dissonance of scientific museums and collections, (2) designing the social sustainability of dissonant heritage, and (3) examining the role of art in addressing dissonance. As evidenced by the essays gathered in this book, eradicating dissonance from our pasts and presents can prove to be an insurmountable task. We can remove statues, abandon buildings, forget paintings, but the painful past will endure. Consequently, dissonant heritage necessitates interpretation that acknowledges the negative emotions experienced by those who lived the dissonance. At the same time, we must remember that narratives of dissonant heritage can be politically manipulated and may fuel revisionist, negationist tendencies. In order to mitigate these risks, interpretation must both expose the propaganda hidden within certain forms of dissonant heritage and uncover the ways in which art can be (ab)used in order to create illusory consensus or even to bolster anti-democratic, supremacist ideologies. In essence, dissonant heritage offers an invaluable opportunity for modern societies to reflect on their values and on their strategies to promote and defend them in a changing and globalized world.