AR3HCP-The Anthropology of Heritage and Cultural Property

Module Provider: Archaeology
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Autumn term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2021/2

Module Convenor: Dr Alanna Cant
Email: a.m.cant@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module focuses on the concepts, institutions, politics, and legal claims of heritage and cultural property in the contemporary world. You will learn about the historical development of these concepts and the national and global institutions, such as English Heritage and UNESCO, through which they are promoted. You will develop a critical understanding of the political, economic, social and environmental effects of these processes. You will also develop your understanding of how heritage has become an important global industry premised on economies of tourism and heritage site conservation. By looking at different cases of heritage and cultural property, you will investigate such questions as: What is the relationship between heritage, identity and the nation-state? What happens when culture becomes a resource? Can the concept of cultural property afford the protections that indigenous and minority groups seek? What are the consequences of natural and human made threats to heritage sites? Course materials will primarily be academic texts and documentary films about specific cases from all over the world. The module will be delivered through a series of lectures, seminar sessions (small groups and general discussions), and documentary films. It will also include presentations by guest speakers who work in the heritage industries.

Aims:

• To introduce students to the history and contemporary features of heritage and cultural property.


• To introduce students to important terminology in the heritage industries, such as “intangible heritage,” “cultural appropriation,” and “repatriation.”


• To help students develop a critical understanding of the political, economic and legal issues that emerge in particular contexts of heritage and cultural property.


• To provide students with concrete examples of career paths and employment in the UK heritage sector, and to enable them to find further employment information and resources.������


• To encourage students to reflect on the relationships between the concepts of heritage, identity, property and ownership, and the implications of these in today’s world.

Assessable learning outcomes:

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate a good understanding of the concepts, terminology and institutions used by the heritage and cultural property industries.


• Identify the conceptual and legal tensions between different aspects of heritage and cultural property.


• Identify and explain social, political, environmental and economic effects or issues that can arise around heritage and cultura l property.

Use concrete examples to effectively illustrate or provide evidence for the points above.

Additional outcomes:

• To develop students’ research, writing and argumentation skills.


• To develop students’ collaborative/group work skills.


• To allow students to focus on an in-depth case study, enhancing their knowledge about a particular place and set of problems.

Outline content:

The course will begin with two sessions focusing on the history, concepts and institutions of heritage and cultural property before turning to specific conceptual themes, which are addressed in one session each. Topics may include: heritage and nationalism; economies of heritage; heritage of indigenous and minority groups; repatriation; negative and difficult heritage; cultural appropriation and heritage at risk. The range of topics covered is enhanced by guest lectures from professionals wor king in the UK heritage sector.

Background �ڹϳ����� List:

Geismar, Haidy. 2015. ‘Anthropology and Heritage Regimes.’ Annual Review of Anthropology 44: 71-85.

Meskell, Lynn. 2015. Introduction: Globalizing Heritage. In Global Heritage: A Reader, Lynn Meskell, ed. London: Wil ey-Blackw