• Andrea Kocsis

University of Edinburgh and Northeastern University London

Can digital humanities rewrite concepts from non-digital heritage studies? With the help of distant reading, my paper aims to re-evaluate why some heritage sites do not evoke hot cognition in visitors. Hot cognition is a form of affect, a direct emotional way in which we can interpret heritage experiences before or without thinking them over. Applying the term to heritage studies, Uzzell claimed that the likelihood of the hot interpretation of a dissonant heritage site depends on the time between the original traumatic event and the visit. 

However, I argued that the exhibition's curation, the story-telling, and levels of immersion play a more critical role in the hot interpretation than the time that has passed since the atrocity. To test my hypothesis, I have analysed 6000 TripAdvisor reviews about sites commemorating temporally distant tragedies, such as the Clifford Tower in York, the  Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth, and the Medieval Massacre exhibition at the Swedish History Museum.

Theoretically, in contrast to Uzzel’s observation, my investigation indicated that visitors could react to immersive curatorial techniques and storytelling with affect, which is more important in hot cognition than the temporal difference. Methodologically, I aimed to test popular computational methods in heritage affect research (sentiment analysis, lexicon-based emotion detection, topic modelling) and compare them to close reading. My research proved that extant data, like online reviews, can be a valid alternative to onsite observation and interviews. Furthermore, the paper points out the limitations of crowdsourced emotion labels and lexicon-based methods deploying a categorical model of emotions. Although the study still recommends close reading as the safest option for analysing reviews in search of hot cognition, the research led to suggestions for further computational solutions (new ontologies and machine learning) combining close and distant readings.

• Krzysztof Wasilewski ,
• Igor Walczak

Koszalin University of Technology

This paper will aim to investigate the transformative role of digital humanities in the construction and evolution of local identities, with a specific focus on the burgeoning field of citizen research. As technology continues to permeate every facet of our lives, digital platforms offer unprecedented opportunities for communities to engage with and define their unique narratives. This proposal outlines a comprehensive study that seeks to explore the multifaceted impact of digital humanities on the formation, representation, and preservation of local identities, emphasizing the significant role of citizen researchers in these processes. The research will delve into the ways in which digital tools, methodologies, and platforms empower citizen researchers to actively contribute to the documentation and dissemination of local histories, cultures, and traditions. By analyzing various case studies from Poland and employing interdisciplinary approaches, the study aims to elucidate the symbiotic relationship between technology, citizen research, and the construction of local identities. It will also explore the challenges and ethical considerations inherent in these collaborative digital endeavors, addressing issues of accessibility, inclusivity, and potential cultural commodification from the perspective of engaged community members.

Furthermore, the paper will investigate how digital humanities facilitate collaborative and participatory efforts, with a specific focus on the contributions of citizen researchers in shaping and communicating local identities. From community-driven archives to interactive storytelling platforms, the research will highlight innovative projects that showcase the potential for democratizing the process of identity construction through citizen-led digital initiatives.

The anticipated outcomes of this study include a deeper understanding of the ways in which digital humanities, coupled with citizen research, contribute to the construction of local identities. Insights into the implications for cultural heritage preservation, community engagement, and the dynamics of collaborative knowledge creation will be explored. By proposing this research, we aim to encourage further exploration of the dynamic interplay between technology, citizen research, and identity formation, ultimately contributing to a more nuanced understanding of the evolving nature of local identities in the digital age.

Case studies:

Case studies, which will be analysed in the paper, include digital humanities projects from the Polish-German borderland region whose cultural heritage includes different ethnicities, religions and memories. The paper will investigate: regional digital libraries (e.g. https://zbc.ksiaznica.szczecin.pl/dlibra) and their collections, as well as citizen science projects, such as “Digital Heritage of the West Pomerania Region” (https://www.cyfrowepomorze.edu.pl/cyfrowe-pomorze ), which records online initiatives on local (meaning German and Polish) history, tradition and culture. Moreover it will analyse the “Middle Pomerania in Regional Discourse” project (https://tu.koszalin.pl/pomorze) whose goal is to digitize key texts for the construction of the Middle Pomerania region.

• Tania González Cantera

University of Girona

Historical narratives linked to war heritage are generated and curated by public institutions, forging an official interpretation which does not necessarily have to coincide with the ones generated by individual or non-official collectives. The archaeological record is a key component of this complex heritage since it acts as a repository, where the same materiality may generate a diversity of memories (hegemonic/counter-hegemonic, resilient/subaltern). 

The Spanish Civil War is an excellent example of the complexity of narratives generated by conflict heritage. In the Basque Country, the strong identity of the region has generated a unique and distinct perspective on the Spanish Civil War which has been translated into the memorialising process of the war heritage.

This work confronts the narratives generated by the mythic Iron Belt: a Republican fortified line that defended the city of Bilbao from the Francoists in 1937. This WWI imitation structure was designed to defend a diversity of resources and infrastructures which would allow Bilbao to resist a long-term siege. Over the years, it has become a political instrument in disseminating different war visions, giving rise to confronted narratives. The large scale of industrial warfare is an added challenge: a complex fortification as the Iron Belt may extend over kilometres, thus displaying diverse memorialisation dynamics.

This work studies the divergent materialities and narratives generated by the SCW in the Basque Country by a comparative study of 3 sectors of the Iron Belt. Specifically, we explore what political, geographical, and historical factors explain the memorialization of a complex and iconic conflict site as the Iron Belt. Due to its inherent complexity, we approach it through a multidisciplinary perspective by implementing a combined use of traditional archaeological methods (i.e., field surveys), computational archaeology (a geospatial database and statistical processing systems), and Digital Humanities analytic tools (Geographical Information Systems and Data Visualization). The rationale behind this framework is to understand the memory of these historical events as an integrated approach including material culture, historical landscapes, and remembrance activities as a means to improve our understanding of the memorialization process of 20^th century conflict heritage. 

Results suggest divergent heritage managements with a markedly local character due to the political, economic, and social background of each municipality. In the villages where there is an interest in promoting these structures and the memory of the war, these aspects are usually combined with the canonical war myths of Basque nationalism (the mythical resistance by gudaris or the bombing of Gernika). The incorporation of more diverse groups and perspectives into these memories is a slow process, which has so far only been documented in the exhibition rooms and not in the public space.