Heritage: The political and the personal

Authors

  • Maurice Davies

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5617/nm.3626

Abstract

Many wise academics have written many great books about heritage. They discuss what heritage is, how it is defined and what it means. In this article I do not intend to offer an erudite, scholarly analysis of heritage. Instead, I am going to make some comments, based on over ten years that I have spent observing the museum and gallery scene in the UK, first as editor of Museums journal and more recently as deputy director of the Museums Association.

My main theme is the question of who defines heritage. It will give some examples of what politicians and governments say about heritage and it will compare this with how individuals view heritage. Who defines heritage: the museums or the people? This, then, is the question I am seeking to answer. After that I will consider what museums can do and the part they should play in shaping and creating heritage. 

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Issue

No. 1 (2000)

Section

Articles

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