LinkedHerit

The LinkedHerit project seeks to document and analyze the formation and evolution of networks in the field of heritage during the contemporary period. By employing digital humanities tools—including databases, as well as network visualization and analysis—it aims to better understand how ideas circulate, connect, and enrich one another in an increasingly globalized heritage landscape.

The networks under study operate at multiple scales: from the professional relationships of a local architect or the actors on a single restoration site, to the wider structures of expert networks at regional, national, and international levels.

A pilot phase of the project is currently underway, based on the analysis of the early archives of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) preserved in the Raymond M. Lemaire Fund (KU Leuven University Archives).

While the history of heritage conservation reveals the existence of professional and informal networks since the 19th century, the founding of ICOMOS in 1965 marked a decisive turning point. This organization fostered an unprecedented global exchange of expertise, transcending national boundaries and disciplinary divides. Through this cross-fertilization of ideas, ICOMOS contributed to redefining conservation principles and inspired the drafting of numerous international heritage documents that continue to shape practice today.