Ecologies of Modern Heritage: Studying the Cultural and Material Environments of Recent Historical Change
Principal Investigator - Dr Dan Hicks (Pitt Rivers Museum,
University of Oxford)
Co-Investigator: Dr Caitlin DeSilvey (Geography, University of Exeter, Cornwall)
Summary of Research
A cornerstone of developing interdisciplinary collaboration in heritage science is the definition of shared fields of enquiry, in which science- and arts/humanities-based researchers can collaborate on an equal footing. Defining points of overlap between the material, environmental and human dimensions of the heritage is therefore a crucial first step in developing research that crosses disciplinary boundaries.
This Research Cluster focused on the multi-disciplinary study of modern heritage, and employed the idea of 'heritage ecologies' to facilitate new collaborations in their interpretation and representation. Responding to the outcomes of two recent research projects funded by EPSRC and English Heritage, Ecologies of Modern Heritage brought together leading researchers - from engineering, ecology, microbiology and conservation to planning, anthropology, archaeology and the creative arts - and engages with a range of stakeholders from outside higher education, including the professional heritage sector.
The Cluster operated over 5 months (March-July 2009), convening two intensive site-specific workshops that used the site of Bletchley Park, Bucks as a case study. The Cluster was carried out in partnership with English Heritage and the Bletchley Park Trust, who were both be represented on the Cluster Steering Committee. Bletchley Park is an iconic and internationally-recognised historic site, associated especially with the history of technology and 20th-century military history. Reconciling intangible heritage, the international historical significance and contemporary cultural and economic values of the site, with the demands of conservation and management of the material fabric of collections, buildings and landscapes is a current and pressing challenge for the Bletchley Park Trust, and one that is shared by many other heritage stakeholders.
The Cluster tested and developed the idea of 'heritage ecologies' as a rubric for the development of heritage science research that crosses disciplinary boundaries, and that achieves social and economic impact. It facilitated new collaborations between 4 new Research Teams (developed from within a Core Group of participants) that has led to further grant applications, both through the Heritage Science programme and through responsive-mode calls, from Cluster participants. Broader participation in the Cluster was achieved, as the programme progressed.
The Cluster's workshop activities are documented on this website in briefing notes. The outcomes of the workshops were disseminated through a public workshop hosted by Open University in June 2009, which was attended by a wide range of heritage stakeholders, through the Heritage Science conference on Weds 8th July 2009, and through liaison with other Clusters in the 'Interpretation and Representation' cell.
The Cluster developed new understandings of the challenges and potentials of heritage science in relation to modern heritage, and also contributed to the ongoing interpretation and representation of Bletchley Park.
