Between re-construction and construction: the dualism of heritage conservation in war-torn countries

The history of war, which in modern ideology, at least until today for the countries of Western Europe, was a finite concept locked in collective memory, finds in the events that are unfolding in all the countries of the world where ideological or ethnic conflicts are taking place, the expression of a narrative that is unfortunately still contemporary. This means that all efforts to safeguard human lives and historical heritage of any kind, are subjected to a very high risk: in this context, it becomes essential to activate a strategy that is based on knowledge of historical heritage, obviously stimulating very complex dialogues, which result in the concept of cultural education of the people. An important factor, however, at this juncture, is the synergy between different bodies for safeguarding, up to and including the will of the community, which plays a pivotal role in safeguarding. The paper focuses on understanding the importance that a deep knowledge of heritage, understood from both the tangible and intangible point of view, is the basis for a conscious project, which also takes into account the role that the object in question plays for the society living it today. The difficulties associated with these principles are very complex, but the insistence on their pursuit must be put into action, through active recognition (in cultural, indeed, as well as social and economic terms) and not just passive recognition (in ideological, celebratory terms) of their role. The paper takes the perspective of a historical (and not properly historicist) reading of heritage and how the historical value of heritage can take on an effective intercultural value. In this paper, the reflection starts from understanding the needs to which re-construction must adhere, the socio-economic structure of that country, the sometimes-changed needs compared to the past, and what the act of reconstructing a building really represents for that place. The topics are addressed in methodological terms, making use of the teaching and research experiences developed to date in international contexts and with working groups that open to intercultural dialogue, comparing, starting from their definition, the concepts of construction with those of re-construction, in the perspective of architectural conservation.