After Heritage

The book considers the highly personal, often ephemeral, individual ?- vis-?-vis collective -? experiences of (in)formal ways the past has been folded into contemporary societies. In doing so, it unravels the merits of examining more intimate materializations of heritage not only as a check against, but also complementary to, what Laurajanne Smith refers to as ?'Authorized Heritage Discourses?'. It also argues against the tendency to romanticize the fleeting and largely obscured means through which alternative forms of heritage-making are produced, performed and patronized. Ultimately, this book provides a clarion call to reinsert the individual and the transient into collective heritage processes.

Researchers in human and cultural geography, heritage studies and tourism studies will find this strong contribution to the developing field of Critical Heritage Studies an insightful read. Policy makers and heritage practitioners will also develop a deeper understanding of how heritage practices may benefit from the '?heritage from below?' approach.

Contributors include: A. Aceska, R. Carter-White, M. Cook, D. Drozdzewski, J. Gillen, C. Minca, H. Muzaini, M. Ormond, A.E. Potter, I.J.M. Robertson, J. Tyner

Focusing on the practices and politics of heritage-making at the individual and the local level, this book uses a wide array of international case studies to argue for their potential not only to disrupt but also to complement formal heritage-making in public spaces. Providing a much-needed clarion call to reinsert the individual as well as the transient into more collective heritage processes and practices, this strong contribution to the field of Critical Heritage Studies offers insight into benefits of the ?heritage from below approach? for researchers, policy makers and practitioners.

After Heritage not only offers much needed critical analysis of the heritage-making power and practices of ordinary people, but also productively de-stabilizes the binaries that have long constrained critical memory studies - individual versus collective, intangible versus material, and bottom up versus top down. Its rich array of case studies move us beyond monolithic understandings of how the past is produced, resisted and emplaced within everyday life.'
--Derek H. Alderman, University of Tennessee, US

'By excavating politics and identities from below, the nine chapters of this book fascinatingly bring back into focus the everyday, mundane and the local; themes and contexts that continue to be too often overlooked by scholars in heritage studies. Moving away from accounts of state politics and world heritage sites, the book identifies why we need to critically examine family memorabilia, Bruce Lee and motorbiking as forms of heritage. After Heritage makes a significant contribution to the debate concerning where critical heritage studies should head in the future through its various nudges for conceptual innovation and its welcome incorporation of examples from different regions.'
--Tim Winter, University of Western Australia