JPI Kulturarv - JPI CH Heritage Values Network

The proposed project will initiate a European, cross-disciplinary dialogue between heritage practitioners, researchers and policy makers on ?heritage values? through the conduct of three networking workshops in Eindhoven, Oslo and Barcelona respectively. The term ?heritage values? refers to the meanings and values that individuals or groups of people assign to heritage (including collections, buildings, sites, landscapes etc). The meetings will bring together academics, policy makers and heritage practiti oners to discuss through interactive and innovative sessions: a) How are heritage values understood by policy makers, heritage professionals (e.g. conservators, archaeologists, architects, historians) and heritage theorists across Europe? b) How can herit age values be assessed, measured and prioritized by policy makers and heritage practitioners in Europe? c) How can the public be involved in the assessment process of heritage values? There is great ambiguity regarding the term ?heritage values? and how t his is conceptualized in different disciplines, practices and countries. In addition, there is limited research on methodological tools that can be used for assessing the diverse range of values that different individuals or groups of people assign to a w ide array of heritage sites. Current methods focus mostly on measuring the economic benefits of heritage. More importantly, our limited current knowledge is based on research conducted predominantly in Anglophonic countries. The proposed project argues th at a transnational approach to this subject will unpack the influence of cultural contexts on understanding and assessing heritage values. This process will facilitate the development of a conceptual and methodological framework on heritage values that ca n be shared by heritage organizations in Europe. The proposed project will ultimately lead to collaborations between European consortium members for the creation of a European research proposal.