The paradoxes of heritage participation

Dados Bibliográficos

ID5700525
AutoresNana Zheng (0000-0003-0048-2567, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, autor correspondente)
Ano2025
Volume31
Fascículo6
Páginas796-813
Data de publicação2025-06-03
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoInternational Journal of Heritage Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1352-7258 • E-ISSN: 1470-3610
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13527258.2025.2496877
OpenAlexW4409895135
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas5
Referências citadas75

Conceptualising and theorising heritage participation is an uneasy quest, with ongoing debates over what constitutes genuine participation. Debates often highlight the expectations placed upon it – expectations that, as I argue in this paper, are accompanied by conceptual paradoxes. First, the paradox of participatory parity. According to Nancy Fraser, economic maldistribution, cultural misrecognition and political marginalisation are primary barriers to achieving equal participation. Paradoxically, participation is often proposed as a solution to eliminate these barriers. Second, the paradox of inclusion. Although heritage participation can serve both inclusion and exclusion purposes, heritage is inherently exclusive, as it often reflects values specific to certain groups. Third, the paradox of multivocality. If multivocality is to prioritise marginalised voices and challenge dominant discourses, distinguishing between them proves challenging. Moreover, entrenched dominant discourses may lead marginalised individuals to doubt their own judgement rather than challenging the power structures behind them. Fourth, the paradox of balancing citizen power and government control. Theoretically, participation is intended to empower citizens to counterbalance government control; however, it has increasingly become part of governmentality itself. Highlighting the paradoxes of participation is not intended to dismiss this concept entirely. Instead, this approach serves to caution against the idealisation of participation

Archaeology · Cultural heritage · Environmental ethics · Political science · Sociology · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · Cultural Identity and Heritage · History · Museums and Cultural Heritage · Philosophy