Digital Approaches to Inclusion and Participation in Cultural Heritage: Insights from Research and Practice in Europe

This edited book brings together best examples and practices of digital and interactive approaches and platforms from a number of projects based in European countries to foster social inclusion and participation in heritage and culture. It engages with ongoing debates on the role of culture and heritage in contemporary society relating to inclusion and exclusion, openness, access, and bottom-up participation.

The contributions address key themes such as the engagement of marginalised communities, the opening of debates and new interpretations around socially and historically contested heritages, and the way in which digital technologies may foster more inclusive cultural heritage practices. They will also showcase examples of work that can inspire reflection, further research, and also practice for readers such as practice-focused researchers in both HCI and design. Indeed, as well as consolidating the achievements of researchers, the contributions also represent concrete approaches to digital heritage innovation for social inclusion purposes.

The book’s primary audience is academics, researchers, and students in the fields of cultural heritage, digital heritage, human-computer interaction, digital humanities, and digital media, as well as practitioners in the cultural sector.

Danilo Giglitto is a researcher working at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. His work falls in the areas of heritage studies, sociology, and human-computer interaction, with a particular focus on digitally mediated and social-innovation compatible community-led cultural heritage projects.

Luigina Ciolfi is Professor of Human-Computer Interaction in the School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, Ireland. She researches the human experience of and practices around digital technologies, with a particular focus on the cultural heritage domain and on participatory and co-design methodologies.

Eleanor Lockley is a Research Fellow at the Culture and Creativity Research Institute at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. She works across and within sociology, media, human-computer interaction, and cultural studies. Her research focuses on digital media and the sociology of communication as well as aspects of digital inclusion, and digital and media literacy.

Eirini Kaldeli is a senior researcher at the Artificial Intelligence and Learning Systems Laboratory of the National Technical University of Athens. Her most recent work focuses on the development of frameworks and tools that make use of cutting-edge digital technologies for data management, creative reuse, crowdsourcing, and engagement in the field of cultural heritage.