Creating place identity through heritage interpretation

Bibliographic Data

ID5884992
AuthorsD Uzzell (0000-0001-7590-0079, University of Surrey, corresponding author), David L Uzzell
Year1996
Volume1
Issue4
Pages219-228
Publication date1996-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Heritage Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1352-7258 • E-ISSN: 1470-3610
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13527259608722151
OpenAlexW2009702515
LanguageEN
Citations received37
References cited10

One of the principal functions of heritage interpretation is to enhance the visitor's sense of place and place identity. If this is to occur, the interpretation should be planned and designed with that outcome in mind. The research reported in this paper was an empirical study which, drawing on social identity theory, attempted to assess the effectiveness of a museum in contributing to visitors’ sense of place and awareness of a town's heritage. The results show that Guildford Museum was successful in this respect. However, only certain aspects of the museum displays were responsible for this effect, in particular those displays concentrating on the people and activities of the town, rather than the built heritage. The case is made for a more theory‐driven approach to research in heritage interpretation, which can suggest prescriptive roles and functions for museums and heritage sites. Heritage has been cast in the role of both saviour and sinner – saviour for spearheading the introduction of regenerative tourism and conservation programmes into declining urban, industrial and rural areas, and sinner for trivialising history and inculcating within the public a reactionary, superficial and romantic view of the past2. The promotion of heritage may, more often than not, have been little more than a cynical attempt to exploit and satisfy the public's appetite for reconstructing and fabricating comforting and nostalgic images of, and myths about, the past. Equally, however, there is little doubt that heritage interpretation can play an important role in enhancing people's awareness, understanding and appreciation of time and place. If this is to occur, the interpretation needs to be planned and designed with that outcome in mind. This will only be successfully achieved if it is informed by sound theory

Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Cultural heritage · Cultural heritage management · Environmental ethics · Heritage tourism · Industrial heritage · Sociology · Tourism · Visitor pattern · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · History · Museums and Cultural Heritage · Religious Tourism and Spaces

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