Dark” Heritage? Nudging the Discussion

Datos Bibliográficos

ID7460909
AutoresSuzie Thomas (0000-0002-3365-0136, University of Antwerp, autor de correspondencia)
Año2022
Volumen15
Número2
Páginas163-178
Fecha de publicación2022-05-04
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaHeritage & Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2159-032X • E-ISSN: 2159-0338
EditorialTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/2159032x.2022.2126232
OpenAlexW4304144197
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas5
Referencias citadas40

A particular strand within cultural heritage studies has been developing, known as "dark" heritage. However, its usage does not always point to a clear or universal definition, but rather tacit assumptions over what it might mean. The author and colleagues have contributed to perpetuating the continued "dark heritage" referencing through the ongoing research collective "Lapland's Dark Heritage". Investigating the ongoing impacts of the legacy of the Second World War in Finnish Lapland, the project has shed light on local sentiments towards both tangible and intangible reminders of conflict. It has critiqued the apparent state-sanctioned silencing of some aspects of that past, and analysed the ruptures caused to traditional Northern lifeways in the continued context of colonial frameworks. Yet scholars are not merely innocent observers.This paper approaches "dark" heritage on three levels. Firstly, it summarizes Lapland's Dark Heritage and its impact on discussions and actions outside academia, including heritage management policy. Secondly, it problematizes the term and its development through the frameworks of critical heritage – challenging the assumptions inherent in the term concerning what makes its focus either "dark" or "heritage". Finally, it takes a wider view, questioning whether the analyses that scholars make have relevance or interest to the wider society. By so doing, the paper contributes to the broader debate concerning the future directions of heritage studies, including the apparent disconnect between applied heritage management training and methods, and more theoretical critical heritage discourses

Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Context (archaeology · Cultural heritage · Cultural heritage management · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Industrial heritage · Political science · Relevance (law · Sociology · State (computer science · Values · Archaeological Research and Protection · Computer Science · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration · History · Law · Philosophy