Heritage Interpretation Research Articles

Cultural Heritage Interpretation: Proposals for Medieval Churches in Famagusta Walled City, North Cyprus

ABSTRACT Interpretation has recently become a more focused topic in the cultural heritage conservation field, due to the increasing concern about the involvement of the stakeholders and the social pillar of sustainability. As the enhancement of participation of the stakeholders in the conservation processes can be achieved by increasing their awareness and appreciation of cultural heritage sites, interpretation has a considerable role in this process. This research aims to search for methods for developing interpretation approaches for cultural heritage sites through the assessment of the responses of the stakeholders. Therefore, the Medieval churches of Famagusta Walled City have been chosen as the case study for this research. Assessment of the responses of the stakeholders is accepted as a tool for developing a better interpretation of the cultural heritage buildings, preventing them from further neglect or possible extinction. This research proposes the advancement of interpretive approaches for similar undervalued and underappreciated sites.

HERITAGE INTERPRETATION: ANALYSIS OF LABOR HERITAGE IN THE CASE OF THAI LABOR MUSEUM (BANGKOK, THAILAND)

Thai Labor Museum in Bangkok is the first and the only museum in Thailand that brings many aspects and issues about Thai laborers to public awareness. The heritage narrated in this museum regards the significance of Thai history and contemporary events that involve Thai laborers in the political and social context. The museum represents the historical realm of Thai labor and recognizes labor identities through their hard work and life. The purpose of this study can be determined through the following research questions: (1) how is the situation with the interpretation of heritage in the case of Thai Labor Museum?; and (2) what could be an alternative interpretation approach for labor heritage? The study used SWOT analysis framework as the method, carried out within the existing interpretation of the museum. Primary, secondary and tertiary interpretations were suggested. Also, critical issues and problems with interpretation at the site were addressed. Additionally, the study marks tourism route potential, connecting the museum with the historic railway factory heritage at Makkasan Workshop. Future development would create a new public and tourism precinct set amongst the backdrop of the industrial heritage of Thailand.

Promoting Palaeontological Heritage of Mammoths in Serbia Through a Cross-Country Thematic Route

Interpretation of paleontological heritage of mammoths is an important factor for the development of tourism in Serbia. Most fossil remains of mammoths are found in a unique geological environment, indicating the significant tourist value of these sites. The principal aim of this paper is to emphasize the tourism potential and geoconservation values of mammoth fossils throughout Serbia. These fossil remains provide an excellent basis for establishing the first ever mammoth route in Serbia. The route stretches from the city of Kikinda in the north to the city of Jagodina in the south, encompassing the basins of three major rivers, the Danube, Tisa, and Morava River. Throughout history, these rivers have been a place where different cultures have flourished over a long period of time. Also, many prehistoric animals such as mammoths and other species inhabited these areas continuously for nearly a million years. The current state and tourism potential of the selected mammoth sites were evaluated by using the CREM (Cultural Route Evaluation Model). The application of this methodology will provide us with crucial information for future route development and help us identify which areas and sites require more attention as well as identify the major fields for improvement at each mammoth site in order to attract a larger number of tourists in the future.

Trademark potential increase and entrepreneurship rural development: A case study of Southern Transylvania, Romania.

Cultural heritage capitalization in rural areas redefines the local development model. Thus, heritage tourism has become the engine of economic activities diversification. This study aims to identify a decision-making-model substantiating algorithm in order to support the local heritage capitalization (lesser known on the international cultural consumption market), based on three types of qualitative researches, and the improved Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. In case of lesser known heritage, trademark potential and international cultural tourism route for heritage capitalization are smart choices for the innovative local hub development. The developed AHP version allows for a broader investigation of the characteristics that can lead to a trademark associated development based on integrated and innovative tourism products. To substantiate our approach and validate the model, we conducted a pilot study on a geographic area (Southern Transylvania, Romania), slightly exploited from the perspective of heritage potential, and characterized by a combination of heritage assets. The study’s results can be used by local authorities as a foundation for sound and strategic development of the area with economic potential from tangible and intangible heritage (re)interpretation.

The Iron Age in the Plastic Age: Anthropocene signatures at Castell Henllys

Abstract

НА ФОНЕ ПУШКИНА. ЛИНГВИСТИЧЕСКИЙ АСПЕКТ ПУШКИНСКОГО ДИСКУРСА 1920–1930-х гг.

The article focuses on the analysis of linguistic means of adapting the literary heritage of the 19th century by the Soviet cultural space using the example of Pushkin's discourse of the 1920s-1930s. At first glance, it seems that the interpretation of Pushkin's heritage was continuous in Russian culture throughout the centuries with the same semantics: the poet as a symbol of national culture. However, in Pushkin's discourse, there is a breakpoint that occurred in the post-revolutionary decade, during the breakdown of the entire cultural tradition in an attempt to establish a new proletarian culture. In order to set the vector for the development of Soviet culture, the Bolsheviks had to solve the cardinal question of their attitude to the literary heritage of the Russian Empire. The option of full assimilation of the pre-revolutionary cultural heritage was unacceptable for the Bolsheviks. A complete refusal was also impossible since the Bolsheviks as a whole understood that it was difficult to ignore the age-old cultural tradition. As a result, the new regime, with its perception of the cultural tradition as “cultural baggage”, had to use ideological filters for this baggage. From this point of view, the most representative source is the ideological concepts of the history of the 19th century literature presented as a system in the Literary Encyclopedia in 11 volumes (1929-1939) and in the Small Soviet Encyclopedia (1928-1931), as well as the ways of communicating the concepts to the broad Soviet audience. Pushkin's Soviet discourse is the most indicative example of the changes that occurred in the Russian language in the post-revolutionary era when a version of the Russian language started obeying a new system of meanings and attributed to the text a meaning that was not originally implied or intended by the author. One of the instruments for adapting the pre-revolutionary cultural experience to the Soviet ideological space was the expansion of the semantic field of the key concepts democratic and revolutionary with the help of added context. The added context made any phenomenon of pre-revolutionary culture look “proletarian”, especially those ones which could justify continuity between the “Soviet present” and the “Russian past”. Also, this context divided the cultural tradition into “good past” and “bad past”. Moreover, it caused the emergence of oxymorons in the language that brought together very opposite ideas, such as, for example, “noble revolutionaries”. However, despite the internal inconsistency of Pushkin's Soviet discourse, as evidenced by the oxymoronic nature of its basic concepts, the aim of the “Sovietization” of Pushkin was successfully achieved through the purposeful use of linguistic means.

Interpretation of Ecclesiastical Heritage: Where are we? What Next?

This paper questions the applicability of the New Museology at European Christian churches, discussing the ontological incompatibility of plural and relative worldview of the postmodern cultural paradigm and religious realism. Following the analysis of various interpretations collected from the three prominent European denominations the paper concludes that the more content a denomination appears to be over the postmodern cultural paradigm of New Museology, the more likely it is to experiment with postmodern interpretative strategies. The paper moves one step forward elucidating this causal relationship should not be considered as a simple cause and effect relationship bound within a causal determinism. Considering that the heritage interpretation of religious settings is a multidimensional praxis the paper calls future researchers to be mindful of the multiple concurrent and contingent factors influencing interpretations at Christian churches.

КОНСТРУИРОВАНИЕ ОБРАЗА ИСТОРИЧЕСКОГО ПРОШЛОГО ИТАЛИИ XV-XVI ВВ. В СОВРЕМЕННОЙ СЕРИАЛЬНОЙ КУЛЬТУРЕ

The history of Italy in the 15th-16th centuries has assumed a special relevance in modern serial culture, becoming not only the basis for the European and transatlantic cooperation in the creation of cultural products, but also the space for the interpretation of the Renaissance historical heritage. Using the deconstruction of the four TV series of the 2010s, the author strives to find those universal images with the help of which series directors and show runners construct the audiovisual image of the past in historical TV series. The author's attention focuses on such aspects as the screensaver, the images of Italy, the representation of physicality and gestures. The analyzed film texts serve as the basis for the conclusion that modern serial culture in the process of constructing the audiovisual image of the historical past of Italy does not only follow the basic elements of medieval visual entertainment, but also creates a semiotic code for the historical era representation.

Kulturna diplomatija nesvrstane Jugoslavije - odblesak zaboravljenog nasleđa

Cultural diplomacy of Yugoslavia 1945-1991 is often represented through its socialist, European or westernization aspects. However, one specific characteristic of this multinational federation is often overlooked. Non-alignment was the main axis of the Yugoslav foriegn policy from c. 1956 to 1989. This foreign policy doctrine made possible a wide array of networks to be formed with the newly liberated post-colonial states of Africa, Asia and Latin America. This paper presents a short history of these networks. The given examples present Yugoslav-African cooperation in the fields of museology, literature, artistic and intellectual exchange, exhibitions and institutions created based on this cooperation - such as the Museum of African Art in Belgrade. Yugoslavia was very present on the African continent and signed official cultural cooperation treaties with over 30 of its nation states. Belgrade and the rest of the Yugoslav federation was extremly receptive of initiatives from the non-aligned and, to the limits of their infrastructural and financial possibilities, supported them. The specificities of socialist Yugoslavia, however, made possible for a decentralization of cultural cooperation. The paper also examines the most recent interpretations of Non-Aligned heritage and history in lieu of events following the 60th anniversary of the Belgrade Conference and the Jubilee Conference of the Non-Aligned (Belgrade, October 2021). A special emphasis is placed upon the analysis of two exhibitions - The Non-Aligned World in the Museum of African Art, and the Prometheans of the New Century in the Museum of Yugoslavia. The last part of the text elaborates on the renewal of these old trends of cooperation and gives some thought to the reach and possiblities of cultural diplomacy in the post-colonial space of Africa, Asia and Latin America, highlighting recent examples from the Republic of Serbia and its neighbours. In a globalised world and with Serbia rapidly forming partners on all continents, these links should be re-examined and renewed.

Concrete as Heritage: The Social Perception from Heritage Criteria Perspective. The Eduardo Torroja’s Work

Eduardo Torroja Miret (1899-1961) was one of the most important Spanish engineers. His understanding of structures and materials made him a world reference in the field of engineering and architecture. Due to the lack of ornamentation in his works and the lack of heritage interpretation aimed at a non-specialist public, many of his works sometimes go unnoticed by inexperienced eyes and, despite his important legacy, Torroja remains a great unknown. This paper reports on the existing heritage perception of two of his most outstanding works in Spain, the Zarzuela Hippodrome and the Instituto Técnico de la Construcción y el Cemento (Eduardo Torroja Institute). To this end, surveys and interviews were carried out with visitors to both buildings based on different heritage criteria, such as their architectural importance, aesthetics, significance or representativeness, but also from the point of view of the available tourist infrastructure. The results show a lack of appreciation in the heritage criteria related to its architectural, historical and aesthetic values, combined with a lack of knowledge about Torroja and its way of understanding architectural beauty.

Relektüren des klassisch-islamischen Erbes für eine Gerechtigkeitsgrammatik der Gegenwart

AbstractThis essay examines Fatima Mernissi’s and Mohammed Arkoun’s strategies of rereading central texts of the classical Islamic tradition in order to develop a contemporary normative grammar of critique. Mernissi reconsiders marginalized intellectuals and theoretical schools of Islamic history and derives immanent principles of justice. From a feminist perspective, she criticizes the dominantly patriarchal interpretations of Islamic foundational texts. Taking the classical humanism of Miskawayh as a point of departure, Arkoun carves out his conception of justice. Based on both Islamic religious ethics and antique Greek philosophy, he develops a transcultural humanism. Methodologically, Arkoun suggests a deconstructive examination of the classical Islamic texts to free Islamic thought from orthodox strictures. By way of conclusion, the article suggests that Mernissi’s and Arkoun’s progressive interpretation of the classical Islamic heritage may help to overcome the narrow, identitarian understanding of Islamic thought prevalent in both Muslim and Western societies.

Gulag Heritage Conservation, Visualisation and Interpretation for Tourism Development: A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective

ABSTRACT In Kazakhstan, the development of a tourism sector that highlights the repressive historical period of Soviet domination is limited. This study investigates the managerial practices of the conservation, visualisation and interpretation of Gulag heritage for tourism development at Kazakhstani museums from a multi-stakeholder perspective. A qualitative case study research approach based on interviews with museum management, policymakers, NGOs, tour operators and historians of the Kazakhstani Gulags is adopted to examine stakeholders’ positions on practice. Various development and planning implications are identified: increase the cooperation between stakeholders for proactive cooperative fundraising for commercialisation and conservation of sites; and the need to consider the centrality of visual imagery in museum interpretation and initial multimedia development.

Food Museums as Cultural Institutions and Tourist Attractions: Evidence from Italy

In recent years, food museums have turned into popular attractions for tourists. Scholars and practitioners have emphasized their role as agents of preservation, education, and cultural heritage interpretation, but devoted little attention to tourism-related issues. To fill the gap, this article investigates Italian food museums in order to assess their characteristics, tasks, audience, and modes of engagement. Findings suggest that community engagement is an important task along with safeguarding and promoting food heritage. Creating or improving external relationships is crucial for public museums to get recognized for their role and value. For museums operated by private companies, engaging with local stakeholders and residents serves not just a branding purpose, but also in awakening their interest in past and present issues concerning the product (nutrition, safety, taste, cultural, and social values). The majority of Italian food museums mainly appeal to domestic travelers, which indicates the potential to reach a larger, international audience. Visibility and language issues remain crucial to reach international tourists but reframing the museum experience is also essential to meet new visitors' needs. Exploiting traditional exhibitions of food-related objects with multimedia technology and practical activities such as classes, workshops, and cooking shows can help in engaging the audiences.

Collaboratory, Coronavirus and the Colonial Countryside

Introducing the second volume of the Offa’s Dyke Journal (ODJ), this five-part article sets the scene by reviewing: (i) key recent research augmenting last year’s Introduction (Williams and Delaney 2019); (ii) the key activities of the Offa’s Dyke Collaboratory in 2020; (iii) the political mobilisation of Offa’s Dyke in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns; (iv) the ramifications of accelerated efforts to decolonise the British countryside on both archaeological research and heritage interpretation on linear monuments; and (v) a review of the contents of volume 2. Together, this introduction presents the context and significance of ODJ volume 2 for both research on the Welsh Marches and broader investigations of frontiers and borderlands.

Musei, territori, comunità interpretative: le nuove sfide della partecipazione/Museums, territories, interpretative communities: the new challenges of participation

The following article focuses on the challenges of cultural participation within the context defined by the Covid-19 pandemic. While a background noise characterized by a sort of forced, compulsive digital interaction has been accompanying the months of lockdown, making many express a renewed optimism towards the massive interest in heritage as a form of resistance, the impoverishment of the sector is casting new light on the possibilities of its agency and social impact in the next future. Still, in confused times it is paramount to isolate a few sustainable and innovative practices and to observe them throughout time, much as in a scientific lab. The article concentrates on two issues pertaining to the umbrella-concept of “participation”, and articulates each of them through a selection of recent case-studies from within the museum field: the role and agency of museums as mirrors in times of crisis and their capability of a “rapid response”, and heritage interpretation communities as a means for strengthening the social and cultural tissue through an intergenerational approach. While the focus is on the Italian context, a few international experiences are also described as potential sources of inspiration in terms of strategy and methodology.

Online communities and their contribution to local heritage knowledge

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the potential of social media as a framework for people-centered heritage. With a focus on the interpretation and display of heritage by online communities, this paper aims at providing insights into the social production of heritage – the social co-construction of meanings of everyday landscape and the making of the collective and local identity.Design/methodology/approachThis paper proposes a methodological roadmap for the digital ethnography of everyday heritage. It reveals (1) the fundamental principles according to which people make value judgments and associate meanings to the urban landscape, and (2) the role of online communities in conveying collective identity and heritage values within the community realm. As a case study area for the implementation of the proposed method, three Facebook community group pages for Tripoli, Lebanon were chosen. The posts and comments were translated into English and uploaded to NVivo 12 plus and a deductive thematic approach to qualitative data analysis was applied. The data was coded into three main nodes: the actors, the tangible assets and the value registers.FindingsResults show that Facebook users are concerned with environmental equality, common interests, utility, right to the city and representativeness, while the beautification of heritage is often perceived as a threat to these values.Originality/valueThis investigation goes beyond heritage attributes (what) and values (why) to examine how values are assigned by local communities. It provides a comprehensive understanding of value judgment and the rationale and arguments used to justify positions and mobilize online community members in order to contribute to the digital co-construction of everyday heritage.

Интерпретация материального культурного наследия в контексте музея

Interpretation of cultural values and cultural heritage is one of the most common types of their development and creative understanding. However, the concept of ‘interpretation’ remains blurred among related processes, usually without getting much mention. In the field of cultural heritage preservation, interpretation is the main method of human development of cultural heritage objects. The process and results of interpretation, as shown by the long history of preservation of cultural heritage, also affect the preservation of cultural heritage. The proposed material is devoted to the consideration of a museum as an example of one of the most consistent built spaces and tools for the interpretation of cultural heritage. The subject of the research is the methods of museum work considered in the context of mechanisms of interpretation of material cultural heritage. Museum as an instrument of interpretation has been known since ancient times. Human interest in ancient artifacts that act as visible symbols of historical and cultural memory of the past, eventually led to the development of collecting, and then, with the publication of collections, to the emergence of museums. Museum and its activities occupy a special place in the methodology of interpretation. The museum space can set its own special rhythm of historical time and create conditions for comfortable perception of the presented artifacts. No other cultural institution has such a task, and if it is necessary to present an artifact, interested persons in one way or another turn to the method tested on museum sites. As a result of the research, the author identified five stages of museum activities, which are generally typical for the mechanism of interpretation of cultural heritage. Therefore, the main goal of museum activities should be recognized as an interpretation of cultural heritage. In accordance with this goal, the museum's tasks are also implemented, including the preservation, publication and promotion of the collection's artifacts. Thus, the role and place of the museum as a specific space created for the purpose of interpreting cultural heritage is proved. These provisions allow us to look at the theory and practice of museum activities in a different way, in the context of interpreting cultural identity.

Interpretação do patrimônio cultural por meio da roteirização turística da Avenida 7 de Setembro, Manaus, AM

O espaço urbano proporciona o conhecimento das diversas manifestações da sociedade materializado em suas ruas, avenidas, edificações e praças, permitindo uma melhor compreensão do processo que, ao longo do tempo, foi responsável por sua configuração. Assim, buscou-se identificar as possibilidades de interpretação patrimonial de uma cidade, por meio da Avenida 7 de Setembro, espaço representativo da história de Manaus nos períodos pré-colonial, colonial, império e república, marcados por sua construção e suas edificações. A metodologia é qualitativa, do tipo estudo de caso, com a utilização de fontes bibliográficas, documentais, de instrumentos como inventário turístico, observação e entrevista. A paisagem construída na avenida é consequência da formação social e econômica da região, onde as principais modificações ocorridas foram resultado da circulação de mercadorias e do capital financeiro de dois grandes marcos de desenvolvimento econômico e social no estado e na capital: o ciclo da borracha (1860-1930) e a criação da Zona Franca de Manaus (a partir de 1967 até hoje). Outro resultado da pesquisa é a sugestão de um roteiro turístico interpretativo pela Avenida 7 de Setembro, com a finalidade principal de diversificação da oferta turística local, valorização patrimonial e facilitação da compreensão desse espaço.

Interpretación del patrimonio: necesidad de diálogo entre educación y ciudadanía en Brasil

This article addresses the dialogue between heritage interpretation and preservation, education and citizenship. Starting from a brief historical route, we seek to conceptualize heritage interpretation, its principles, foundations, objectives and agents involved, as well as to present the methodological steps of a plan for carrying out the interpretation of works, whether of pictorial, sculptural or architectural nature, recognizing the elements specific and related to each one. We seek to demonstrate, through theory and observation of the Projeto Oficina Escola de Artes e Ofícios (POEAO), how heritage interpretation and education practices are relevant to the preservation of memory and cultural heritage, stimulating community participation in a process of strengthening citizenship, following Tilden's sequential strategy (1957): interpretation-understanding- appreciation-protection.

Beyond official heritage agendas: The third space of conservation practices in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Urban heritage conservation has often been portrayed as a practice shaped by ‘authorised discourses’ which are produced by powerful actors including the state, international organisations and experts. But the literature has also paid attention to non-governmental actors who produce ‘unauthorised heritage discourses’ by calling for broader and more diversified heritage interpretations and practices. Using the case of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, we argue that the dichotomy between authorised and unauthorised heritage has produced artificial boundaries between those legacies which have been (or should be) identified as heritage and the multiple remains of the past which nobody has ever attempted to define as such. Instead, we argue that multiple authorised discourses, circulating worldwide, generate a pervasive global hierarchy of value which relates to heritage. Various actors, including bilateral donors, states’ representatives, tycoons, owners and tenants, shape urban tactics which selectively appropriate components of this hierarchy and combine them with socio-political and economic rationalities in order to conserve Phnom Penh’s urban legacies. Taken together, these tactics shape what we name a ‘third space of heritage hybridity’ outside the scope of official agendas.