Special Issue "The Social Dimension of Heritage Values—Re-thinking Methodological Approaches for Heritage Management and Research"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Tourism, Culture, and Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ana Pastor Pérez
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Archeology, Department of History and Archeology, Universitat of Barcelona, 08011 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: heritage management; preventive conservation; social archaeology; urban archaeology; ethnographic methods; heritage values
Dr. David Barreiro Martínez
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Heritage Sciences Institute (INCIPIT) of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Interests: theoretical foundation for an applied archaeology; theoretical approaches to cultural heritage as valorisation process; memory and landscape interactions
Dr. Eva Parga Dans
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 28006 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
Interests: sociology of heritage; social value; sustainable tourism; World Heritage Site; cultural heritage management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heritage sites, events, ruins, and fragments can evoke different sensations, emotions, and memories of our own history and the history of others. In the last two decades, cultural managers, urban planners, conservators, and architects have begun to approach heritage valorisation from different perspectives. However, the integration of interactions between people and heritage by managers attempting to assess heritage values has been beset with difficulties. Although the definition, evaluation, and use of heritage values has been one of the most important themes in heritage management for more than twenty years (Avrami 2009, Avrami, Mason and de la Torre [eds.] 2000, Parga-Dans and Alonso González 2019), there is still a seemingly unbridgeable gap between those heritage values that experts consider to be the most appropriate and those that society needs. A move among heritage practitioners to become more aware of people’s different cultural perceptions of heritage has also motivated recent studies (Barreiro and Criado-Boado 2015, De la Torre 2013, Gao and Jones 2020, Taylor 2015). With this in mind, a series of studies and tentative participatory processes has attempted to approach novel ways of categorising social values (e.g., Apaydin [ed.] 2020, Fedheim and Khalaf, Fusco Girard 2014, Jones 2017). But how can they be applied in practice?

Nowadays, heritage values are part of every project associated with the dissemination, conservation, maintenance, and experiential improvement of places related to cultural heritage (Fouseki et al. 2020, Pastor Pérez 2018). At this stage, some controversial questions arise. Can we think of heritage values that do not have a social component? How are the social and long-term sustainable dynamics of valorisation being applied in projects? Can the intangible social value of cultural heritage be put into a straitjacket to be evaluated? How can the social impact of heritage be assessed? The literature on the various forms of cultural heritage measurement and assessment is abundant and varied in terms of theory. However, there is a need for research into how assessment methodologies that have the potential to promote a sustainable impact can be implemented in practice (Demas 2013, Díaz-Andreu 2017, Molina Neira 2019, Parga-Dans, Alonso González and Otero Enríquez 2020).

This Special Issue aims to explore new approaches to defining the term “heritage value”, incorporating cultural awareness and social justice issues into its social use (Rastegar et al. 2020). With regard to the future, authors will be asked to look into how managers, educators, and researchers currently use heritage values and, in particular, how they integrate the social aspect of heritage into their theory and practice. We intend this volume to critically reflect on the limits of indicators for measuring heritage values, especially when attempting to reveal the social dimension of heritage. The ultimate aim of the Special Issue is to argue that working on methods that bring us closer to the social impact of a heritage project implies building true bridges between the different agents, especially between academia and society.

Contributions to the Special Issue may include theoretical articles, articles that develop topics based on particular case studies and, finally, photographic essays.

Dr. Ana Pastor Pérez
Dr. David Barreiro Martínez
Dr. Eva Parga Dans
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • heritage management
  • heritage values
  • cultural perception
  • social value
  • assessment methodology
  • indicators for measuring heritage values
  • social dimension of heritage

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Article
Heritage Engagement and Subjective Well-Being in the European Union
Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9623; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179623 (registering DOI) - 26 Aug 2021
Viewed by 224
Abstract
In this paper, we explore the relationship between different ways of getting engaged with cultural heritage and life satisfaction. Using data from a representative sample of the population of the 28 members of the European Union in 2017 collected in the Eurobarometer 88.1 [...] Read more.
In this paper, we explore the relationship between different ways of getting engaged with cultural heritage and life satisfaction. Using data from a representative sample of the population of the 28 members of the European Union in 2017 collected in the Eurobarometer 88.1 (2017), we explore the relationship between use and non-use values and individual subjective well-being measured as life satisfaction. We present the results derived from the estimation of an ordered probit model where life satisfaction is a function of living near to heritage resources to represent non-use values, different ways of heritage participation (tangible, intangible, digital, and volunteering), and the usual explanatory variables that have been found to be predictors of life satisfaction. Our results indicate that the chances of being more satisfied with ones’ life increase with volunteering activities, with visits to heritage institutions, and with digital engagement. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the multifaceted values of heritage. Full article
Article
A Tourism Potential Index for Cultural Heritage Management through the Ecosystem Services Approach
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6415; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116415 - 04 Jun 2021
Viewed by 318
Abstract
Tourism as a tool for the enhancement and conservation of heritage represents an opportunity for many managers of cultural properties. However, despite the numerous works developed so far on tourism governance, the elaboration of preliminary studies for decision-making in heritage buildings is still [...] Read more.
Tourism as a tool for the enhancement and conservation of heritage represents an opportunity for many managers of cultural properties. However, despite the numerous works developed so far on tourism governance, the elaboration of preliminary studies for decision-making in heritage buildings is still a challenge. Considering the ecosystem services approach, an index is proposed which allows tourism and cultural heritage managers to analyze and quantify the level of tourist exploitation (use) of a monument for the services (benefits) that it offers to society. In this paper, a multi-criteria evaluation system was proposed, related to the main use of the building and its relationship with various tourism components, which have been classified as cultural, leisure, recreational, lodging, catering, intermediation, transportation, and event organization. The model has been applied to the Parroquia del Mar (Alicante, Spain) of great cultural relevance, but not exploited for tourism. The results obtained demonstrate the usefulness and validity of the model, considered as a tool capable of bridging the gap between heritage conservation and its touristic use, highlighting the importance of the services offered as necessary attributes for its (re)valuation, combining the social benefits of its exploitation, its touristic use and the awareness of its conservation and protection. Full article
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Article
Framing the Values of Vernacular Architecture for a Value-Based Conservation: A Conceptual Framework
Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 4974; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094974 - 29 Apr 2021
Viewed by 537
Abstract
While a growing number of researchers have provided series of tough critiques of the typology-led heritage value assessment over the recent years, the impacts have been constrained by the continued obsession with expanding the list of the predetermined value typologies rather than escaping [...] Read more.
While a growing number of researchers have provided series of tough critiques of the typology-led heritage value assessment over the recent years, the impacts have been constrained by the continued obsession with expanding the list of the predetermined value typologies rather than escaping its limitations. While these sustained debates have provided important insights, this article argues that operationalizing these predetermined ‘one-size-fits-all’ value typologies is symptomatic of a number of shortcomings, especially in the context of capturing the pluralities of values in contextualized heritage such as vernacular architecture. It also often undermines inclusivity and participation in the valuing processes. However, rather than simply rejecting the values-based paradigm, this article proposes a conceptual value assessment framework that is informed by the theorization of vernacular architecture as a contextualized heritage. The proposed Vernacular Value Model (VVM) puts forward the ‘when(s)’ and ‘how(s)’ of amalgamating both technical and normative processes to capture the range of contextual values present in built vernacular heritage. To this end, this article posits that by drawing on such a proposed flexible framework, the conservation strategy for built vernacular heritage can be propagated as an inclusive and participatory process which captures the wide range of values for a more sustainable practices for conservation. Full article
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