A digital archive understood as a relational structure of knowledge.
A research environment in which manuscripts, correspondence, lectures, publications, institutions and intellectual figures can be explored through their relationships — built on, but distinct from, the physical Gianni Vattimo archives at UPF.
The Project
The physical Gianni Vattimo archives are preserved at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona and contain manuscripts, correspondence, typescripts, lecture notes, publications and related documentary material.
Vattimo's Digital Archive is a research platform built upon those holdings, providing structured digital access through the catalogue, indexed people and relational visualisations.
Digitisation is treated here as organisation and research infrastructure: it makes intellectual relationships visible without replacing consultation of the physical archive.
“Vattimo’s Digital Archive is an exceptional resource and an essential gateway to Gianni Vattimo’s thought, legacy, and intellectual influences.”
“Lorenzo’s digital map brings the Archive to life. It was essential to me while writing Vattimo’s biography, and it now offers a wonderful tool for everyone to navigate Vattimo’s papers and take a fresh look at his work.”
“This Digital Archive makes you visualize Gianni Vattimo’s philosophy for the very first time. Through infographics and cartographies, Lorenzo Gensini’s excellent work opens up a new perspective on Vattimo’s thought and on the conceptual constellations that unfold within it.”
“Gianni Vattimo’s ideas remain relevant as a possible way to address today’s political and moral problems. The ‘Weak thought’ concept rejects absolutes, values interpretation, diversity, and the reduction of violence. On authoritarianism and absoluteness, Vattimo’s work inspires us and reminds us that thought can deconstruct itself as a liberating act. The Gianni Vattimo Digital Archive is a website dedicated to presenting the philosophical legacy of this philosopher. Based on a collection of documents held at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, the Gianni Vattimo Digital Archive will serve as a vital channel for connecting contemporary issues with Vattimo’s thought.”
“Lorenzo Gensini's digital map is vital to research, navigate, and understand Vattimo's philosophical world. I use it every day.”
Method & Research
The digital archive is built through four interconnected stages that transform archival description into a structured relational dataset.
Metadata Collection
Collection and structuring of archival metadata from the existing physical archive and catalogue records.
Metadata Normalisation
Standardisation of dates, titles, document types, languages, archival references and other descriptive fields.
Entity Extraction
Identification and structured indexing of people, works, institutions and other relevant entities present in the archival descriptions.
Network Construction
Transformation of co-occurrences and archival relationships into relational data, network structures and visualisations.
People & Institutions
The physical archives are held within the UPF Center for Vattimo Archives and Philosophy, in collaboration with Universitat Pompeu Fabra, its Department of Humanities, the UPF Library and ICREA. Vattimo's Digital Archive is the research platform developed within this institutional framework.
- UPF Center for Vattimo Archives and Philosophy
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra
- Department of Humanities, UPF
- ICREA
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra Library
- SZ
Prof. Dr. Santiago Zabala
ICREA / UPFScientific Director and Academic Supervisor
santiago.zabala@upf.edu - CC
Ms. Chiara Caiazzo
UPF PhD Candidate · FPU FellowSeminars and Archive Coordination
chiara.caiazzo@upf.edu - LGCurator
Mr. Lorenzo Gensini
UPF PhD Candidate · Center for Vattimo ArchivesDigital Archive Curator, Website Development and Digitisation
lorenzo.gensini@upf.edu - IM
Ms. Imma Muxella
Universitat Pompeu FabraLibrarian and Archive Supervisor
immaculada.muxella@upf.edu