Abstract

The Handbook Managing Dissonant Heritage is a practical and conceptual guide developed within the Co.Co.War project to support the management of dissonant heritage. It offers guidelines that focus in particular on conservation and communication processes related to built heritage and sites. Particular attention is given to cases involving architecture, landscapes, and built environments that still carry a sense of friction between the values of today’s democratic society and their former meanings. The Handbook is conceptually anchored in the idea that this type of heritage can be addressed without the unrealistic ambition of fully resolving dissonance; instead, by understanding and framing it, heritage practices can support a process of negotiation with the past, create a liminal space for dialogue, and foster relationships among divided and divergent communities, thus paving the way for long-term reconciliation.