SPAH Seminar Series, Week 24: Taxonomies of Difficult Heritage and Heritage Ethics

Philosophy and Art History run seminars every Thursday in term time to discuss various topics.

 Dr Andreas Pantazatos from the University of Cambridge is hosting a seminar about Taxonomies of Difficult Heritage and Heritage Ethics.

Biography

I pursued studies in philosophy and social sciences (BA University of Athens, MA University of Reading, PhD University of Durham). Prior to my appointment at Cambridge, I was Assistant Professor at the University of Durham. My research focuses on the epistemic and ethical dilemmas that emerge from the entanglement between tangible and intangible heritage. I am developing novel conceptual tools such as care, trust and stewardship that are shaped by the contextual nuances of heritage.

Abstract

Dissonant heritage and its consequences in heritage-making shape the debate about the politics of past and the challenges of heritage management. Tunbridge’s and Ashworth’s claim that ‘all heritage is dissonant’ inspired numerous publications with similar ideas such as difficult, negative, uninherited and unwanted heritage. A common thread among these ideas is the lack of an explanatory framework, which helps us understand the difference between them. In this paper, I defend the claim that it is necessary to offer a theoretical framework which explicates the differences between these ideas, if we aim to understand how and why different stakeholders are excluded from the interpretation of their heritage. By addressing a new distinction between dissonant and incongruous heritage, I argue that the differences between different kinds of heritage dissonance, broadly construed, are differences of epistemic and ethical values. To illustrate my argument, I draw upon my research in the North East of England and the Dodecanese Islands in Greece.  

To join this seminar, please email Hannah Whiting at hannah.whiting@essex.ac.uk to request the zoom link.