The civic roles and the transformative potential of cultural heritage

Abstract

This article investigates the understandings of the civic roles of cultural heritage. The research material consists of interviews with visitors and practitioners at selected heritage sites that have received the European Heritage Label, a flagship initiative in the cultural policy of the European Union. The analysis draws on a multidisciplinary theoretical framework combining two approaches to cultural heritage originating from different periods: critical heritage studies and new museology. The analysis shows how the civic roles of heritage comprise four broad, interconnected themes: 1) education, 2) values, 3) diversity and inclusion, and 4) debate and dialogue. The article develops the transformative potential of cultural heritage as an overarching idea bundling these roles and identifies both opportunities and problems in the ways in which heritage institutions can support the participation of different population groups. As such, it brings conceptual clarity to discussions on the civic roles of heritage.