It’s about democracy
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2019-01-15

Why is it that we find certain questions about our profession and roles difficult to ask? How do you want to engage in discussions about the past; who do you want to engage in discussions about the past; how safe is the past; how certain is the past; whose past is it; whose archaeology is it?
These are all questions about belonging and ownership; they are wrapped up in the ideas of authorised and established histories and heritage. They are concerned with the preservation and protection of a shared past that has been made safe. A past where we have identified right from wrong, where we feel we have the correct answers and narrative and which we have made safe.
Unfortunately, the present (the place and time in which we live) is not like this simple and romanticised past. It’s contested, confused, uncertain, unknown, challenged, dynamic, new, of the moment, and tomorrow it will be something else. In this dynamic context, I will explore how heritage management is not just a discussion for professionals, it’s actually a matter of democracy. Its everyone’s right to engage, participate, contribute and if we want to be fully representative then we need to shift our perceptions from preserving a ‘romanticised’ past to the exploration of a dynamic and meaningful present – the creation of cultural value and meaning for us today that is relevant to us and who we are. It’s about democracy and everyone has a right to engage in any way they wish.

Neil Redfern, Principal Inspector of Ancient Monuments, Historic England Yorkshire