Roued-Cunliffe & Copelandis - Participatory Heritage
Roued-Cunliffe, H. and Copelandis, A. (eds.) (2017). Participatory Heritage. London: Facet Publishing.
This edited volume is an important attempt to define participatory heritage as heritage practice that takes place outside of the institutional and professional context. It is illustrative of the contemporary context of heritage policy and studies, which not only rethink how heritage institutions can change to become more participative but recognise that participation in heritage takes place in many do-it-yourself (DIY) and do-it-together (DIT) shapes and forms.
The book’s introductory chapter defines participatory heritage as a space and process that develop when people who share similar interests, passions and knowledge come together to safeguard aspects of the past. With digitalisation and digital tools, this becomes even more possible and takes place through specialised Facebook groups, the Wikipedia GLAM section, as well as many community-run archives and heritage protection programs. These show that heritage exists outside of the care and processes supported by institutions and professionals and pose questions about how relevant these institutions will be in the future if they fail to embrace a participatory turn.
The book provides numerous cases and examples of people’s engagement with heritage. Although it makes the bold claim that participation happens outside institutional contexts, some of its chapters also provide examples in which institutions and heritage groups have found constructive and mutually beneficial ways to collaborate.
Roued-Cunliffe & Copelandis “Participatory Heritage”