The arrival, impact and status of Heritage as a subject for academic study

1. The arrival, impact and status of Heritage as a subject for academic study Peter Stone Glasgow, 10 May 2005

2. Heritage in Higher Education • What is heritage? • It’s ‘arrival’ • Heritage and Tourism • Impact on Higher Education • Status as subject • The future...

9. Heritage The tangible manifestation of the past

12. Heritage The tangible manifestation of the past that is visited

15. Heritage The tangible manifestation of the past that is visited and interpreted

20. Heritage The tangible and intangible manifestations of the past that are visited, interpreted and used

24. Heritage The tangible and intangible manifestations of the past that are visited, interpreted, used and ab-used…?

25. Heritage – its ‘arrival’ • 1980 National Heritage Act – to establish National Heritage Memorial Fund “…for providing financial assistance for the acquisition, maintenance and preservation of land, buildings and objects of outstanding historic and other interest…”

26. Heritage – its arrival • 1983 National Heritage Act • Created the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England (HBMCE) • To preserve ancient monuments and historic buildings in England • to promote preservation and enhancement of conservation areas • To promote the public’s enjoyment and advance its knowledge of ancient monuments and historic buildings

27. Heritage – its arrival Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England to be known as English Heritage

28. Historic Scotland • Historic Scotland was created as an agency in 1991 • “Historic Scotland safeguards the nation's built heritage by scheduling monuments of national importance and by listing historic buildings of special architectural or historic interest. “ (my emphasis)

29. The Heritage Industry • Robert Hewison’s 1987 book • sub title: Britain in a climate of decline • acceptance that EH would generate money - never required before • part of government clampdown on expenditure • but also a realisation that ‘heritage’ could make money • Stressed that the word Heritage was not defined in either Act of Parliament creating EH

30. The Heritage Industry • Britain had won the war but at great cost: • Huge urban re-development • massive developments in agriculture linked to technological change keeping up with other producers • both led to enormous destruction of built environment • coupled with failure of Welfare State & Britain’s failure as world power • harking back to good old Victorian values

31. The Heritage Industry Although the schools centre [atWigan Pier] does function as an educational resource, the main purpose of Wigan pier is to CREATE, not so much an informative, as an EMOTIONAL experience, a symbolic recovery of the way we were.

32. Heritage and Tourism 2004 would“…go into history as a very strong year for tourism…” Dawid de Villiers, Deputy Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) international arrivals estimated to be some 10% up on the previous year, all time record.

33. Some Tourism Statistics • This means some 42 million EXTRA arrivals. • In 2001 - 463 Billion US$ were spent by tourists globally • WTO projection of 1.6 billion international arrivals by 2020 • Spending could easily treble or more…

34. Tourism and Heritage • Tourism impinges enormously on the cultural heritage sector • 2002 - Some 80%+ of North American tourists to UK cited cultural heritage as the main reason for visiting • In the USA 81% of all adult travellers include culture or heritage as part of their trip – this translates to 118.1 million tourists visiting cultural or heritage sites

35. Tourism and Heritage • The tourism sector LIKE cultural heritage tourists • Cultural heritage tourists tend to be better educated and better off than other tourists THUS • 25% of cultural heritage tourists take 3 or more trips per year • cultural heritage tourists stay longer – 4 nights away rather than 3 - and therefore spend more than other tourists - US$623 as compared to US$457 - per person per trip.

36. Impact on Higher Education:Taught courses • Higher Educational Resources in Archaeology lists 92 courses in heritage • Many one-off modules • lots of full courses

37. Undergraduate provision • Some 21 plus courses offering entire or significant elements of heritage • Main characteristics • Heritage • Tourism • Archaeology/History • Management • Interpretation • Conservation

38. Postgraduate provision • Some 35 plus courses offering entire or significant elements of heritage • Main characteristics • Heritage • Tourism • Archaeology/History • Management • Interpretation • Conservation

39. Impact on Higher Education:Research • LOTS of journals either specifically or partially targeting the area – for example: • Antiquity • International Journal of Heritage Studies • Public Archaeology • Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites • Archaeologies • Heritage and Tourism • Lots of new books

40. Status as subject • Lots of courses • ? Quality • ? Student numbers • ? Student quality… • Lots of publications • ? Quality • Usually associated with low RAE scores • What is academic home…?

41. Status as Subject • Not seen as real discipline by archaeologists (or others…?) • No other obvious home • If not successful at 2008 RAE then real problem… at least as research-led discipline…? • BUT, heritage is crucially important

42. The Future • Heritage creates the past to inform the present and shape the future • Essential that there is an academic basis to this activity…

43. The Future If we do not engage with heritage then we leave the control of the past to others… politicians, tourist operators, other business operators, economists who have different agendas and different priorities

44. Peter Stone Director International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies Bruce Building University of Newcastle NE1 7RU, UK Tel +44 (0) 191 222 7095 Fax +44 (0) 191 222 5564 Email p.g.stone@ncl.ac.uk