Research Unit 6 - Cultural Heritage including Multilingualism issues
Strategic Research lines
1. Preserving and Enhancing Cultural Heritage
The University of Macerata brings together a vast range of research activities in the field of cultural heritage, from ongoing archaeological excavations (on both sides of the Adriatic) to heritage and communication studies, digitization and management. Researchers at UniMc specialize in archaeology, history, history of art, museum studies, the management of archives and libraries, law, economics and information technologies; preserving our cultural heritage and enhancing its social and economic value is our shared goal. In order to further audience development and to increase awareness of the value of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage, the University of Macerata strongly encourages the communication and dissemination of research results to a wider audience, including individuals, policy makers, businesses and other stakeholders, through the use of ICT. Heeding the suggestions of Europe 2020, particular attention is paid to the possibility of effectively enhancing cultural heritage as a key factor for social and economic development. In order to promote active social inclusion, sustainable development and job creation for youth, research activities aim to define strategies and tools for the management of cultural institutions and sites (museums, libraries, archives, archaeological sites), cultural marketing and the integration of cultural heritage with tourism services and local productions.
Expertise e progetti
2. Cultural Heritage, Memory and Identity
Europe has a rich historical, cultural, linguistic, philosophical and intellectual heritage that scholars at UniMc have contributed to preserving and understanding. More specifically, the fields covered by current research projects include: European history (ancient and modern); translation studies and text production (past and present), cultural and literary history; the classics and the modern world; history of education; European identities in transition; intercultural relations between Europe and China, Argentina, Brazil and the US; transmission of historical and cultural memory to future generations; identity formation and gender studies; the legacy of intercultural Europe in the Middle Age; ethical and political challenges in the European integration process; bioethics in a changing world. These diverse paths of inquiry share a common ground: remembering the past, we look towards the future, and we are committed to enhancing public awareness of cultural heritage (tangible and intangible). As the Horizon 2020 Work Program emphasizes, to strengthen cohesion and solidarity in Europe we need to improve the understanding of its cultural heritage and of its identities. The beneficiaries of our research range from individuals and local schools to museum professionals and heritage organizations.
3. Citizenship, Trans-culture and Tans-nationality
Since the 1980s, Europe has experienced incessant migration flows. Problematic social and cultural questions have been an integral part of this phenomenon. The comparison between different cultures, languages, and experiences inevitably encourages a radical rethinking of established conventions and attitudes. Of primary importance in the current debate is the question of citizenship, which can no longer be understood in a restrictive sense and should be redefined taking into account the changing social structure. These issues also find expression in the cultural and literary fields, through the activities of migrant writers, authors from various backgrounds, who write in Italian, or in another second language, modifying and renewing the cultural, linguistic and literary heritage of the country they live in. UniMC promotes research in this field through the work of scholars interested in investigating the issues of trans-nationality, inter-cultural relations and active citizenship in the light of their specific expertise – literary, linguistic, historical, philosophical, artistic, etc. – and methodological orientations. These research lines, supported by the use of digital technologies that facilitate a broader dissemination of knowledge and texts, allow us to critically reflect on the concepts of identity and of ‘unity in diversity’. We support the belief, expressed in the Horizon2020 WP, that recognizing the value of differences fosters social and cultural cohesion.
Coordinators of Research Unit and contact persons:
- Mara Cerquetti: mara.cerquetti@unimc.it
- Silvana Colella: silvana.colella@unimc.it
- Francesca Coltrinari: francesca.coltrinari@unimc.it
- Bianca Sulpasso: bianca.sulpasso@unimc.it
- Benedetta Ubertazzi: benedetta.ubertazzi@unimc.it