DIGITISING EUROPEAN CULTURE : EUROPEANA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF DIGITAL CULTURAL HERITAGE

Abstract

This work investigates the role of digital heritage in the cultural policy of the European Commission (EC). Over the past two decades, the European Union has encouraged the digitisation of almost every aspect of the cultural sector in the member states. To this end, the EC has financed many expensive grants resulting in the creation of a plethora of new techniques and digital heritage infrastructures, and the drastic transformation of how, in Europe, cultural heritage institutions collaborate and people discover their past. By critically exploring the agendas and effects of the European digital heritage revolution, this dissertation explores how digital heritage imposes a new layer of meaning on cultural heritage within Europe and how this affects the way digital heritage is generated, used, and perceived. The object of this work is Europeana, the European platform for digital cultural heritage. Launched in 2008, Europeana is today the most extensive and most significant digital cultural initiative and driver of digitisation in Europe. Through its work, Europeana governs the Europeanisation of the cultural heritage sector. To understand the role of digital heritage in the Europeanisation of cultural heritage, this dissertation seeks to answer three interlocking questions. Firstly, which objectives and aspirations drove the digital cultural heritage policy of the EU? To answer this question, this dissertation traces the evolution of the policy framework of the EU that guided the digital transformation. This allows us to assess the political visions that informed the processes of digitisation of the European cultural sector. Secondly, which policy instruments did the EU develop to implement its digital cultural heritage policy? The ideal of fostering European cultural identity through digital instruments has resulted in standards and best practices for the cultural sector. Therefore, central in this analysis is Europeana, the Infrastructure designated by the Commission as the instrument to support cultural heritage institutions’ digitisation. By tracing its historical evolution, this work demonstrates that Europeana represents at the same time a policy instrument governing the digital transformation of cultural heritage institutions and a vehicle for the construction of European narratives that actively governs the Europeanisation of the cultural heritage sector. Thirdly, what has been the impact of digital technologies and standards on the missions and curatorial practices of heritage institutions throughout Europe? The aim is to analyse the impact of the standards and best practices promoted by Europeana on curatorial processes of heritage institutions. On the one hand, this requires a reflection on the multidisciplinary competencies required for creating and managing digital cultural heritage collections. On the other hand, this work analyses the role of digital heritage in the process of identity formation and in the transmission of cultural values. The conceptual goal of this dissertation is not only to determine the technological, political, and ethical assumptions at the base of the digital strategies but also to assess how cultural heritage institutions in Europe put these strategies into practice. This work investigates the effects of EU digital cultural policies, assessing whether they have successfully transformed our engagement with the past.