What to forget? What to preserve? Politics of Digital Heritage in Central and Eastern Europe

In the last decade, there has been increasing interest in digital technologies and their influence on the production of memory, history and heritage – not only within academic research, but also in politics, especially in Eastern Europe and Russia. The tendency toward selective history, heritage and memory politics in the region manifests itself more and more in the digital sphere. Politicians decide on what will be remembered and how and their decisions shape the selection of sources, artefacts etc. to be digitalized. In this framework the question arises whose heritage will be secured by digitalization and whose not? Simultaneously, political decisions also aim to regulate the accessibility of digitalized heritage. Which materials or collections will be accessible, and which will be not? Moreover, the types of users are regulated through these politics as well. Our roundtable will discuss how concrete strategies, policies and the main actors are shaping and constructing this field in the region.