Heritage and participatory governance: An analysis of political strategies and social fractures in Spain

Abstract

In the heritage field, institutions tend to see social participation as a synonym for good governance practice. This extends to other areas such as the environment, humanitarian aid, and sustainable development. In this article, the authors analyze the use of participatory models in the management of heritage through the study of three heritage sites in Spain: the prehistoric paintings in Altamira, the Mosque‐Cathedral in Córdoba, and the Cabo de Gata‐Nijar Natural Park. Their study suggests that, despite the promises of more democratic heritage governance, participatory methods are commonly bounded by social fractures that are concomitant to certain ‘heritage regimes’. They conclude that the critical study of participation in heritage should go beyond the dichotomy between ‘good and bad’ participation. Rather, it should focus on understanding what participation does to the entire heritagization process.

Perspectiva de género en las empresas. Hacia la igualdad laboral a través de la responsabilidad social empresarial=Gender perspective in companies. Towards labor equality through corporate social responsibility

“…En este sentido, en la búsqueda del cumplimiento de uno de los objetivos de la RSC y su compromiso social, muchas empresas buscan que los colectivos sociales también participen. De esta forma, las empresas han encontrado una forma de legitimar sus acciones a través de diversas estrategias de participación social (Cortés-Vázquez et al, 2017).…”

The Scandinavian far-right and the new politicisation of heritage

“…Research on cultural governance and participatory approaches to heritage has shown that democratisation can be a curse in disguise. Superimposed via international conventions, national regulations and White Papers, actions meant to improve access, use and management of heritage can work to hide social and bureaucratic dissonance under a goodwill blanket while pre-existent value regimes persist (Bendix et al, 2013;Corte´s-Va´zquez et al, 2017). This means that frameworks for public inclusion can, as in Denmark, be limited from within by the far-right.…”

Towards good governance of heritage management systems: Possible role of accounting

“…The significance of governance for effective HM is highlighted (Shipley, 2008;Vázquez, 2017), yet only fragmented aspects are studied (Pickard, 2002;Blaug et al, 2006;EC, 2014;Saltiel, 2014). In fact, little attention is paid to investigating the whole governance system in the heritage sector.…”