Learning the Role of Museums as Drivers of Development

Abstract

Cultural heritage plays a decisive role in the development of cooperation between countries and is a factor contributing to the reduction of economic, social, scientific, and environmental gaps. In this context, the Curricular Units of German/Spanish/French Culture for Business, lectured in the Masters in Intercultural Studies for Business (MaISB) of the Porto Accounting and Business School (ISCAP), have been promoting a set of interdisciplinary pedagogical strategies, through which students are challenged to participate in and reflect on the transformation of cultural heritage into marketable products, thus developing critical analysis skills in relation to entrepreneurship and creativity. Facing culture as a profitable commodity, the projects carried out by students aim to promote the preservation and enrichment of heritage leading to economic development and job creation, economic and territorial revitalization, the strengthening and/or diversification of tourism, the settlement of populations, and the development of intercultural understanding. In this paper, three case studies deal with the way in which culture plays a major role in boosting regional development, urban revitalization, and socioeconomic local transformation.