Uses of Heritage

Examining international case studies including USA, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Laurajane Smith identifies and explores the use of heritage throughout the world.

Challenging the idea that heritage value is self-evident, and that things must be preserved because they have an inherent importance, Smith forcefully demonstrates that heritage value is not inherent in physical objects or places, but rather that these objects and places are used to give tangibility to the values that underpin different communities and to assert and affirm these values.

A practically grounded accessible examination of heritage as a cultural practice, The Uses of Heritage is global in its benefit to students and field professionals alike.

“'The book is very well-researched and it is refreshing to read chapters based on survey results rather than opinion... This book offers lots of ideas about the nature of heritage, has good case studies and an academic approach to the issues based on many years experience.'- Australian Archaeology”

'The book is very well-researched and it is refreshing to read chapters based on survey results rather than opinion... This book offers lots of ideas about the nature of heritage, has good case studies and an academic approach to the issues based on many years experience.' - Australian Archaeology

The University of York, UK

Examining international case studies including USA, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Laurajane Smith identifies and explores the use of heritage throughout the world.Challenging the idea that heritage value is self-evident, and that things must be preserved because they have an inherent importance, Smith forcefully demonstrates that heritage value is not inherent in physical objects or places, but rather that these objects and places are used to give tangibility to the values that underpin different communities and to assert and affirm these values.A practically grounded accessible examination of heritage as a cultural practice, The Uses of Heritage is global in its benefit to students and field professionals alike.

Heritage value is too often seen as self-evident -- things must be preserved and treasured because they have an inherent importance. Laurajane Smith challenges this idea. She demonstrates forcefully that heritage value is not inherent in physical objects or places, rather these objects and places are used to give tangibility to the values that underpin different communities, and then to assert and affirm these values for a range of reasons. She identifies and explores the various uses to which heritage is put in a series of case studies from around the world, including the USA, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The result is a practically-grounded, accessible theorzation of heritage as a cultural practice.

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