Project description
When heritage becomes a controversial issue
Statues, monuments and historical narratives are being contested. While the cultural heritage of colonialism, religion or minority history sparks debate, it may also disappear quietly through neglect and misrepresentation. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the CIRCE project aims to examine controversial cultural heritage from medieval times to the present. Specifically, it will work with researchers and communities across Europe and Africa, with case studies in Croatia, Italy, Kenya, Spain and Tunisia. The project will develop a multilingual glossary and an atlas of contested sites in order to make it easier for historians to interpret difficult histories more openly. This will turn controversial heritage into a dialogue for inclusivity.
Objective
In today’s multicultural societies, Controversial Cultural Heritage (CCH) often sparks debate due to its association with historical conflicts, marginalised communities, and contested narratives. CCH includes monuments, artworks, and intangible heritage depicting racialised, minoritised, gendered, and religious groups. CCH is threatened by mis/underrepresentation, or erasure, also because of a lack of consistent strategies for identifying, interpreting, and managing CCH, particularly in Europe. The CIRCE project tackles this challenge through the elaboration of an interdisciplinary and co-created model aimed at fostering inclusive and participatory approaches to CCH management.
While discussions on CCH frequently focus on colonial and totalitarian-era monuments, CIRCE extends the analysis to medieval and early modern heritage, emphasizing Jewish, Muslim, and Black histories in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean regions. Case studies include contested/neglected CH in Italy, Spain, Croatia, Tunisia, and Kenya. The project recognizes the role of migration and global power dynamics in shaping contemporary heritage debates and stresses the need for collaboration with African partners to decentralize perspectives.
CIRCE is structured around 3 research objectives: (1) developing a framework for identifying and interpreting CCH, (2) co-creating tools for its valorisation (including a multilingual glossary and an Atlas of Controversial Cultural Heritage) and (3) implementing training programs for CH and tourism professionals, including a MOOC and guidelines for cultural institutions.
By adopting a participatory, decolonial approach, CIRCE aims to transform CCH from a source of division into a shared cultural resource fostering inclusion and dialogue. Through artistic collaboration and community engagement, the project promotes new ways of narrating and visualizing heritage, ensuring its responsible preservation and meaningful reinterpretation in evolving global contexts.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- humanities history and archaeology history
- humanities philosophy, ethics and religion religions islam
- social sciences sociology social issues social inequalities
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-SE - HORIZON TMA MSCA Staff Exchanges
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-SE-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
62100 Macerata
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.