Abstract
Co.Co.War – Dissonant Heritage and War. Conservation and Communication of a Difficult Legacy is an interdisciplinary research initiative developed by Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Univer-sità Politecnica delle Marche, and Politecnico di Torino, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) under the PRIN 2022 programme, with support from the European Union - NextGenera-tionEU. The project investigates the conservation and communication of Dissonant Heritage generated by both armed conflicts and interpretative conflicts. It is based on the analysis of a significant sample of archi-tectural and cultural assets characterised by controversial legacies and ongoing processes of re-signification. In these contexts, the communication of values – beyond stigma and polarization – be-comes an integral part of a renewed understanding of complex heritage by communities. Particular attention is devoted to forms of dissonance that emerge not only from difficult memories, but also from contemporary communication processes that manipulate and alter layered narratives, trans-forming heritage into a divisive element within society. Such dynamics are often associated with nation-alism, identity conflicts, and competing interpretations of the past. Digital platforms, and especially so-cial media, play a central role in these processes, enabling the rapid circulation of unverified narratives and influencing public perceptions of heritage and its value. By integrating heritage conservation, communication studies, digital tools, and participatory approach-es, Co.Co.War develops innovative methodologies for understanding, preserving, and communicating difficult heritage. The project aims to address interpretative conflict as an emerging challenge for herit-age conservation, supporting the development of value-based strategies capable of counteracting pro-cesses of disvalue attribution and fostering dialogue, inclusion, and shared understanding. Through comparative case studies, stakeholder engagement, and dedicated digital platforms, the research pro-motes a more inclusive and socially responsible approach to heritage conservation, recognising the complexity of both tangible and intangible heritage layers as a resource rather than a limitation. Expected outcomes included the critical mapping of European and extra-European heritage sites affect-ed by armed, political, social, or religious conflicts through the development of the DHW Atlas; the se-lection of test-DHW case studies on which value re-signification and communication strategies could be tested; the creation of the DHW Geo-App for the geo-referenced documentation of case studies; and the publication of the Handbook Managing DHW, providing operational guidance for the management of dissonant heritage.
Results achieved
The project achieved all its planned objectives and produced an integrated set of research, methodolog-ical, and digital outputs for the study and management of dissonant heritage. These include the Co.Co.War – Atlas. Mapping Dissonant Heritage (https://amsacta.unibo.it/id/eprint/8909), collecting 130 European and extra-European case studies; the DHW Geoapp (https://cocowar.com/dissonant-heritage-geoapp/), an open-access GIS platform for exploring and expanding the mapped cases; the Co.Co.War – Glossary. Dissonant Heritage Concepts and Terms (https://amsacta.unibo.it/id/eprint/8910); the Co.Co.War – Community Toolkit. Understanding the (Dis)Value (https://amsacta.unibo.it/id/eprint/8911); and the Co.Co.War – Handbook. Managing Disso-nant Heritage (https://amsacta.unibo.it/id/eprint/8912), which provides conceptual and operational guidelines for researchers and practitioners. The project also implemented three Experimental Labs in Predappio (Italy), Mostar (Bosnia and Herze-govina), and Armenia. These activities (https://cocowar.com/experimental-labs/) tested participatory and value-oriented approaches in contexts characterised by conflict, contested memories, and difficult legacies, involving local stakeholders, institutions, researchers, students, and community representa-tives. The results contributed to refining the project's methodological framework and demonstrated the importance of integrating material conservation with the recognition of values, disvalues, perceptions, identities, and collective memories. A significant dissemination and public engagement programme accompanied the research, including international conferences, scientific publications, workshops, social media activities, and the final con-ference and travelling exhibition Dissonant Heritage: Collective Futures, held at the Castello del Valen-tino (Turin) in February 2026. The exhibition featured Fragile Power, an artistic installation by Tal Adler conceived as a mediating device to engage audiences with the central dilemmas of dissonant heritage. Together with the final conference, it contributed to making the project's results accessible to both aca-demic and non-academic audiences. All major outcomes were made openly accessible through dedi-cated digital platforms and publications. Beyond its specific outputs, Co.Co.War contributed to advancing the theoretical and methodological framework of dissonant heritage studies, demonstrating that the conservation of difficult heritage re-quires the integration of cultural, social, and communicative processes alongside traditional conserva-tion practices, while strengthening an international network of researchers and practitioners working in the field.Dettagli del progetto
Responsabile scientifico: Leila Signorelli
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento di Architettura
Coordinatore:
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - Università di Bologna(Italy)
Contributo totale di progetto: Euro (EUR) 200.489,00
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 80.144,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 28
Data di inizio
17/10/2023
Data di fine:
28/02/2026
