Evaluating Emotional Engagement: EMOTIVE Framework for Difficult Heritage XR by MARIA ECONOMOU

Maria Economou is Professor of Digital Cultural Heritage at the University of Glasgow, where she holds a joint appointment shared between Information Studies at the School of Humanities and The Hunterian, the university’s museum and gallery service. She held a British Academy/Wolfson Research Professorship (2022-2026) on 'Emotional engagement with museum collections through digital storytelling and participatory approaches'. This talk (Evaluating Emotional Engagement: Adapting the EMOTIVE Framework for Difficult Heritage XR) presents the EMOTIVE evaluation framework for emotionally engaging heritage experiences developed through the H2020 EMOTIVE project (2016-19). It describes testing it initially at the Hunterian Museum with Roman Scotland Antonine Wall prototypes, then its adaptation for the Yazidi genocide Nobody’s Listening VR in Iraqi Kurdistan. Drawing on research in analogical recognition and historical empathy, it demonstrates how evaluation frameworks can adapt sensitively across temporal periods, geographies, and cultures.