The Use and Abuse of Heritage: A Critical History of English Heritage and its Political Position

The history of English Heritage (to include the recent division of responsibilities that saw the creation of Historic England) and the larger context of the heritage industry has been a deeply political one. Its organisation and practices since its creation in 1983 have reflected changing attitudes and meanings of heritage over the past 34 years. The proposed research would focus on a critical history of English Heritage and its position in the larger context of the UK's heritage industry. For the first time, and through a combination of critical heritage and management studies, the complex but important relationship between heritage and state and the effects this has on people and society will be assessed.
Proposed Research Background:
Since the creation of English Heritage in 1983 under Margaret Thatcher's Government, the relationship between heritage, state and society has undergone different radical transformations. Most recently English Heritage and the wider heritage industry has undergone the most fundamental realignment of structure and political relationship for over a century. The separation of Historic England and English Heritage by the last Conservative Government essentially privatised English Heritage and furthered the free-enterprise approach to the heritage sector in general, placing further prominence on its commercial nature and economic significance. This research would seek to question that decision, asking to what extent the political nature of the heritage industry in Britain has influenced the current political and cultural landscape? Uniquely, it would aim to understand this relationship by utilising both critical heritage and critical management discourse to produce a critical history of the heritage industry from 1983 to the present day.
Research Impact
It can be predicted that the social relevance of heritage will continue to be felt over the next several years as the political divide widens. During this time, it is likely that new or revised notions of identity, place, nation and heritage will be formed, negotiated and manipulated. At the same time the economic and cultural influence of heritage is likely to grow stronger and its effects more visible. It is an important time for heritage practitioners and the industry to recognise the potential influence they have on contemporary politics and culture. It is equally important to further understand the political context in which decisions and transformations within the heritage industry are made and what effect these have on its practice, ideology and output and in turn those effects on people and society.
Research Training
Further research training would be sought to improve skills and learn new ones. I have undertaken research training at Masters level and excelled in theoretical approaches. I would greatly benefit further from training in social science research methods. I would especially seek to explore teaching on data collection and data analysis as well as archival and in depth qualitative training as best to benefit my proposed research and a future career in academia.
The proposed research questions could be answered through theoretical and comparative analysis of the structure, history and politics of the heritage industry. An extensive knowledge and understanding of literature and debates relating to Critical Heritage Studies (CHS) has already been undertaken in my Masters dissertation which reviewed the similarities of the 'heritage industry' in 1987 and that of today. The theoretical discourse proposed here would also focus on Critical Management Studies (CMS), sharing similarities in approach and analysis as those found in Critical Heritage Studies. The benefit of further research training would bring additional methods and approaches to this research. Bridging the gap between my experience in arts and humanities research and the social sciences.