The Big Debates are all about the big issues. Why engage new audiences? What’s in it for them? What’s in it for society? What’s in it for us?
Thursday’s debate will explore whose voices we’re listening to when we talk about heritage. Who dictates what’s acceptable and what’s not? Does this have an impact on society at large?
On Friday, the verbal scrap continues……. to decide whether heritage should have a social responsibility.
- Can heritage and culture make a difference to people’s lives, particularly those who are most excluded?
- Can inclusiveness be fostered, or is it something brought about by wider society?
- Should limited resources be directed towards existing problems with our historic buildings, or is widening access a necessity to safeguard heritage for the future?
- We’ve often heard about ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’. What does ’social responsibility’ mean for us as heritage practitioners?
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regarding the fostering of heritage. institutions might be able to set the ball rolling, but if it’s to mean anything, wider society has to make it mean something.
It’s difficult to know in what manner ’social responsibility’ is being proposed. If it is about being ‘inclusive’ on behalf of the disempowered by a cultural elite then isn’t that outdated, politically expedient and somewhat immoral? However, if there is a genuine desire to engage and work with those not yet represented in the heritage sector then the sector has to be prepared to change dramatically. Is radical change really on the agenda?
“Can heritage and culture make a difference to people’s lives”.
In my opinion, this is one of the most important thing in people’s life - heritage and culture doesn’t cost anything to share (as long as its access is not restricted), and shape the society landscape. It makes people proud of their country, and set references. In this sense heritage has got a social responsibility, as much as religion for instance.
If we focus on making heritage and culture accessible to everyone (Free museums, open air exhibitions, etc .. but also education), it becomes a powerful factor of integration.
Emmanuel
I think ‘engaging new audiences with heritage’ is good, but you also need to find out why they are not engaging with heritage now - one reason could be that they simply can’t get to it (poor transport links etc.), though obviously there are also cultural factors involved.