My latest column piece on NOMOS journal is up and available. I wanted to explore the idea of 'terror heritage', questioning the way in which value becomes attributed to heritage sites and museum collections. Is a sense of value born from an intrinsic quality held by each site and artefact, or is value created by circumstance, the threat of destruction perhaps? I've included the opening paragraph below, with the rest of the article following at this link. Heritage is always being created. While forms of heritage, such as castles and cathedrals, must first be built, it is later generations who decide that these structures are of value – who decide to preserve, conserve, and present buildings, and in doing so, turn the historic into their heritage. Within the terminology of heritage, there is vast variety, but it is always people who decide what will become heritage. There are, however, forms of heritage that are defined by circumstance, great disasters, or catastrophes. These events might be natural, such as earthquakes or tsunamis, that mark landscape and society alike, but then there are more direct human actions. Last month, videos circulated of a shocking attack on the Mosul Museum in Iraq, where ancient antiquities were deliberately destroyed. Yet, in those acts of mindless aggression, was the status of the collections and sites being elevated? Was there a form of “terror heritage” being created, where very acts of destruction made the global community more aware of, and more enthusiastic about, ensuring the long-term survival of those cultural artifacts?
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My latest NOMOS journal column has gone live in the last 24 hours. This quarter I am exploring what role faith should play in decision making at Stonehenge. Having recently visited the World Heritage Site again, for the first time since it reopened, and following the recent solstice celebrations, it seemed timely to revisit the subject. A sample is included below, with the rest of the column available at the NOMOS journal website: "The Summer Solstice passed only a couple of weeks ago. The longest day of the year was met with customary celebrations, in even more customary overcast weather conditions. Nonetheless, the Stonehenge World Heritage Site welcomed in excess of 30,000 visitors for the annual gathering of individuals intent on celebrating – worshipping perhaps – the rising of the sun. However, 2014 was somewhat distinct for visitors to Stonehenge, as this was the first Summer Solstice celebration to be held at the World Heritage Site following amulti-million pound redevelopment of the visitor experience. At the same time though, the Druidic community, active participants in the Summer Solstice celebrations, had the opportunity to argue once more, for the reburial of prehistoric human remains found at the site." I seem to have no shortage of new projects going on at the moment - no bad thing giving my impending redundancy (though that's a story for another day)! What with end of year marking, job hunting, thesis prep (yes, the viva is still on the to-do list), our burgeoning Cyfarwydd organisation, forthcoming book chapters and an array of articles, I can't complain for want of things to do. That being said, I've recently had the pleasure of adding the Nomos Journal to that list.
The Nomos Journal is an interesting new digital publication, exploring connections between faith and popular culture. Today saw the launch of my column, which explores this relationship, perhaps unsurprisingly, through heritage. These two fields have significant overlap, and it seemed appropriate to get things started with a look at the increasingly fragile state of intangible cultural heritage in Wales. The column will be running on a quarterly basis, and I'm looking forward to the July addition. In the meantime, the theme for this month's column can be found below, and the rest of the column can be read at: http://nomosjournal.org/columns/2014/04/heritage-songs-the-decline-of-a-cultural-tradition/ Wales is a nation defined by a number of cultural stereotypes. Of these, singing and the choral tradition is one of the most heavily exported visions of Wales. The cultural origins for this intangible form of heritage are rooted in a faith-based non-conformist background, but as Wales becomes increasingly secular, what future does the singing tradition of Wales have? |
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