1. Global Challenges for
Heritage Science
Alison Heritage
International Workshop, From cross-disciplinary research to heritage science, Florence, 2018 October 18th
2. Heritage can be defined as the objects, cultures and
contemporary activities which define full range of our inherited
traditions, ideas, memory, monuments – who we are. It is not
about the past but about contemporary activities and meanings.
It embraces both the arts and the sciences. It incorporates nature
and culture. It includes the past and the present and prepares for
the future.
At a deeper level cultural heritage is a key to understanding how
each culture has its own principles of knowledge organisation,
interpretation and expression. How we see the world differently,
our principles of truth, our theory and practice of society.
Webber Ndoro, Director-General of ICCROM
Cultural Heritage
3. Heritage science today
Archaeometry
Archaeology
Natural sciences
Art history
Architecture
Life sciences
Formal sciences
Applied sciences
Social sciences
Heritage Studies
Technical art history
Anthropology
Promoting understanding, care
and sustainable use of heritage
11. The role of culture
At a deeper level cultural
heritage is a key to
understanding how each
culture has its own principles
of knowledge organisation,
interpretation and expression.
How we see the world
differently, our principles of
truth, our theory and
practice of society.
Cultural heritage
is knowledge
16. Open Science
Open access Open data
Open
collaboration
Open Education
Open Research
Infrastructures
New concept for
intellectual property
Science with and for Society
17. Literature metadata – bibliometricsWhat are the trending topics in research ?How is language and terminology evolving?
Heritage Science
Literature scan:
8000 Articles in over 1000 publication sources
Produced by + 4400 institutions in 118 Countries
19. Inequalities in knowledge generation
Academic publishing worldwide
Data from: Ojanpera, S., et al., 2017. Engagement in the knowledge economy: Regional patterns of content creation
with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa.
29. Different types of impact
Academic
impact
Non academic
impact
enhance understanding
advance scientific method, theory
and application
economic and societal contribution
benefits to individuals, organisations
and/or nations
30. How do we know if our research has impact?
Academic
impact
Non academic
impact
Citations
Research assessment
Grants
Awards
Career advancement
43. Levels of inclusivity in research
Adapted from IAP2’s Public Participation Spectrum,
http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.iap2.org/resource/resmgr/Core_Values/WEB_1510_IAP2_Core_Value_Awa.pdf
Inform Consult CollaborateInvolve
Provide
information to
stakeholders
Stakeholders
provide
information
Stakeholders
work as equal
collaborators
Stakeholder’s
viewpoint is
taken into
account
Increasing level of influence
44. Enabling participation
What are the impediments and enablers to collaboration?
Lack of sufficient time
for relationship building
Change
current
attitudes &
culture in
research
Lack of funding
opportunities
Incentives &
favourable
evaluation
criteria
More
face-to-face
knowledge
exchange
Training to build
greater research
preparedness
45. Just a question of semantics?
words are important
end user
co-creator
from
to
“open knowledge system”.
broadens the concept of open science to include open education, open research infrastructures and a new concept for intellectual property.
In addition there is also the desire for closer connection between science and civil society: of “Science with and for Society”
But in addition to these higher goals, there are also very pragmatic reasons for why governments are behind this; the most obvious of which is that pooling resources and sharing data, tools and infrastructures reduces the cost of research.
Increasing digital connectivity has sparked many hopes for the democratization of information and knowledge production
For an applied science field such as heritage conservation science (HCS) – i.e. one which is supposed to deliver some form of practical benefit -- a number of key factors affect impact such as
whether it addresses a priority need (is it relevant?)
whether it delivers knowledge framed in such ways that it can be used, (is it rigorous?) and
whether the knowledge delivered is adequately shared and implemented. (does it have impact?)
These three factors are fundamentally reliant on a close working partnership with those that the research is intended to benefit.
HEI “common denominator” in research collaboration
80% of the heritage science literature published in the past 20 years has been produced in collaboration with at least one university.