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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - RES.CO.PART (Research Consultation and Participation:developing a tool for managing cultural heritage and landscape)

Teaser

Summary

This is the final technical report for the MSCA-IF no. 657050 titled â€œResearch Consultation and Participation: developing a tool for managing cultural heritage and landscapeâ€ (RES.CO.PART), implemented during 01/09/2015 to 31/08/2017 at Newcastle University, which was the lead beneficiary of the action.

The last two decades have witnessed a marked turn in the cultural management debate towards the social values of culture and heritage. This could be considered a result of several ongoing processes, as political de-colonisation and democratic aspirations, economic refocusing of development processes, and reflexive criticism in social science research. These changes have led to alternative approaches, ranging from recognition of a multiplicity of pasts, through the analysis of power relations between experts and marginalised groups, to the recognition of cultural self-determination as a human right, as stated in the Fribourg Declaration 2007.

Participatory tools for public inclusion are now common across Europe. However, such methodologies have borrowed much terminology and various tools for collecting and communicating data from the business administration field and in the process they have lost touch with significant concepts relating to the socio-cultural texture of cultural heritage; consequently, they tend to provide interpretations with an economistic and managerial perspective rather than a human one, leaving outside vital aspects as the role of culture in the local, national and European identities.
In recent years strong concerns have emerged on the adequacy of such tools and their long-term impact on local communities.

The Fellowship aimed to address the points above, devising and implementing a new tool for the sustainable management of cultural heritage, bridging theoretical study and practical application, by bringing together research, consultation, participation and decision-making.

Work performed

The project consisted of four Work Packages, each linked to specific objectives.

Meticulous collection of fieldwork data in two contrasting communities, Naxos in the Aegean Sea (Greece) and part of the East Devon â€˜Area of Outstanding Natural Beautyâ€™ (AONB) (UK) preceded. Apart from typical ethnographic methods of data collection (interviews, face to face meetings), fieldwork involved public dialogue meetings and public lectures that allowed us to complement our data but also gather the views of various stakeholders as expressed in the public space. The data were analysed and a digital tool was developed on the basis of our training at Newcastle University that involved seminars on Geographic Information System methodologies and Historic Landscape Characterisation along with training in data management, their visualisation and communication. Training also involved â€˜soft skillsâ€™ (e.g. teaching) and numerous sessions for future career developments and the project management.

The project (fieldwork and the tool) was communicated through various peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, while a workshop was held to discuss similar tools in use in heritage management.

The end-product, the RESCAPER mobile application combines interdisciplinary methods of mobile technologies, spatial analysis with research practices from cultural anthropology building an open-access, open-source, modular digital tool that allows the researcher/member of the public to walk through a cultural site of interest and record her experience with her phone/tablet. It also benefits the consented collection of valuable data on local/unofficial interpretations of heritage, providing a solid ground to discuss and research the role heritage in the local, national and European context and plan for a viable, common, European future in cultural management. The tool is now in beta version and the final version is scheduled to be released by the end of the year.

The work done in the limits of the MSCA-IF has received significant media coverage while the tool has been shortlisted for a MSCA 2017 Prize in the category â€˜Communicating Scienceâ€™ among all FP7 and Horizon 2020 MSCA Fellows and alumni. It has also been highlighted as a potential Research Excellence Framework 2021 Impact case study by Newcastle University.

Final results

The project aspired to contribute tangible benefits for both cultural heritage and society at the local, national and international level by creating a new model for open-access participation in the interpretation and management of cultural heritage.

Focusing on the digital app, RESCAPER was developed to cater for the needs of the expert community in culture and cultural heritage, serving as a prompt for the documentation and communication of oral and other â€˜softâ€™ data that are commonly dismissed in the relevant studies but also help build a concise image of the perception of culture and surrounding identities in the local, national and European level.

Even though RESCAPER was designed for recording our perception of cultural heritage/landscape in Greece and the UK, it seems that its intuitive design and straightforward aims (to single-handedly document experience in a specific site and communicate the result) have attracted attention from colleagues in other countries and disciplines. So far, colleagues from Italy, Ireland, France, Cyprus, Greece and Turkey and across various fields (Archaeology, Architecture, Anthropology, Medicine and Construction) have contacted us, asking about the tool and the possibilities of customisation to fit their research questions and dissemination strategies.

RESCAPERâ€™s open source and modular development allows for further customisation to fit any relevant research demands and targeted groups (age, ethnic or other) and contribute in a democratic and open communication of the results. The app also aims to reach the IT literate members of the local communities surrounding heritage resources, focusing on young individuals, who might find intimidating to communicate their views and ideas on a convolute subject as culture and cultural heritage. It will also appeal to the informed tourist that would like to share her views and contribute in the sustainable management of the cultural resources she is visiting, thus opening up the spectrum of targeted communities.

RESCAPER has already attracted media attention in the local press in the areas of our fieldwork and the academic environment, resulting in a series of invited lectures, as described above. Most importantly, as mentioned, it has been shortlisted for a MSCA 2017 Prize in the category â€˜Communicating Scienceâ€™ among all FP7 and Horizon 2020 MSCA Fellows and alumni. It has also been highlighted as a potential Research Excellence Framework 2021 Impact case study by Newcastle University.

Scheduled developments on the app but also our future plans aim to facilitate a truly effective medium of gathering and communicating ground-level views towards a bottom-up understanding of the ideas and practices surrounding culture and cultural heritage in Europe. We believe that the outcomes of the MSCA-IF will contribute to establishing a democratic dialogue and effective decision-making on issues concerning cultural heritage. In the aftermath of economic recession, this will help to promote sustainable development for local communities, whilst contributing to social equality and reasonable use of resources in line with priorities identified in Horizon 2020.