Conference “Rethinking indigenous American heritage in Italy: between history, conservation, and new narratives”

Bologna, University of Bologna, Department of History, Cultures and Civilisations (DISCI).

On 9th and 10th December, the first workshop of the PRIN KNOT project was held. The event, reserved for project partners, offered an opportunity to discuss the project’s initial results. The project aims to provide a new perspective on the Indigenous American heritage preserved in Italy and to develop new forms of visualization and storytelling.

One of the main outcomes presented was the “KNOT Virtual Museum”, a digital platform designed to share and enhance knowledge of Indigenous American heritage in Italy. The platform offers innovative and accessible narratives addressed to scholars, Indigenous communities, schools, and the general public, promoting an open and inclusive dialogue on the role of this heritage in history and contemporary society.

The workshop also featured contributions from invited speakers from Italian museums that preserve Indigenous objects. Their participation provided an external viewpoint for project partners and contributed to evaluating the first results achieved.

Speakers included Monica Zavattaro – Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology, University of Florence (Florence); Francesca Anzelmo – Museo delle Civiltà (Rome); Maria Camilla de Palma – Museum of World Cultures, Castello d’Albertis (Genoa); Carolina Orsini – Museum of Cultures (Milan); Anna Antonini – Museum of Cultures (Milan).