Dark Heritage and its Sociological Conservation

A Case Study on Aljube Dark Museum

Abstract

Purpose. The present text intends to critically articulate Urban and Cultural Studies to sociological theories and methods, that partially use both human interpretation and Artificial Intelligence, for research on urban cultural heritage. A case study here shown is about the Aljube Resistance and Freedom Museum. This political museum may be considered as a dark museum within the context of dark heritage, where a dark tourism takes place.
Method. Three modes of interpretation within sociological conservation of dark heritage are underlined: (1) human understanding via dialectical critique; (2) interpretation using concepts coded via artificial intelligence on the Museu de Aljube’s ‘Home Page’ and inside the ‘About Page’ of the EGEAC Cultura em Lisboa site; (3) semi-automatic codification, using both human comprehension and A.I..
Results. Within such lens, the following points were examined: studies on dark heritage via a web of ‘resistance dark museums’; memories, reflections and theories about socio-political heritage conservation using sociological methods; sociological preservation actions, their results and applications; their social and scientific impact on the urban socio-cultural fabric. The respective empirical fieldwork was made at the exhibition ‘Ato Descolonial’, occurred on jan-jun 2022. Within this concrete museum space and visiting times, it is possible to extract social and political networks, such as the Salazarism panoptic carceral arena and its worldwide political prison web.
Conclusion. The essay may contribute to define the Aljube socio-cultural space and time as an object of studies by a Sociological Museum / Interpretation Centre, using a Sociological conservation methodology.