About the Project

 

Phase One of PHIM

The first phase of the study on the History of the Alentejo Marble Industry, covering the period between 1850 and 1986, was completed in order to present the various dynamics through which this industry was going, as well as the geographic space in which it was developed.

The research on the History of the Marble Industry aimed to demonstrate how the domain of historical, technical, industrial and artistic knowledge of a particular heritage value can support its cultural and tourist capacity or function by reproducing the available information. In this case, it involves several municipalities of the Alentejo, where marble has dictated the history of men and techniques transforming the landscape into the exploitation of this resource.

In order to create the Documentation and Information Centre on the Heritage and History of the Marble Industry, the project was supported by a multidisciplinary team of researchers in the areas of Heritage, History, Archaeology and Sociology, among others, within the Centre for Studies on Culture, History, Arts and Heritage (CECHAP) of Vila Viçosa. It also counted on the scientific coordination of Professor Daniel Alves, from the Institute of Contemporary History of the New University of Lisbon, the scientific coordination of Professor Tiago Oliveira, from the Centre for Studies of Contemporary History of ISCTE, and the scientific coordination of Professor Ana Cardoso de Matos, from the Interdisciplinary Centre of History, Cultures and Societies of the University of Évora.

It should be noted that the PHIM project - Heritage and History of the Marble Industry is co-financed by QREN, under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Alentejo Operational Program 2007-2013 - INALENTEJO, with the ERDF financial contribution of 139,995,55€, for a total operational investment of 199,993.63€.