Politics, Policy and the Discourses of Heritage in Britain 1st ed. 2010 Edition

‘The diversity of contemporary societies, Britain among them, raises pressing and profound questions concerning social inclusion and exclusion and the dangers of equating multiculturalism and plurality with assimilation. Politics, Policy and the Discourses of Heritage in Britain, with its timely and carefully nuanced call for more complex narratives and representations of heritage as a medium of cultural policy, is essential reading for academics and policy-makers concerned with the ways in which heritage can both impede but also articulate the realisation of diverse and plural societies.’

– Brian Graham, Emeritus Professor of Human Geography, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland

‘This timely volume is a significant theoretical contribution to contemporary heritage studies, and the critique of the Authorised Heritage Discourse. It is based on extensive empirical research, informed by wide reading in the social sciences, methodologically innovative and relentlessly and intelligently critical of modern heritage policy. Its focus on heritage policy and social inclusion in Britain will set the agenda on studying heritage policy not only in Britain but internationally. Politics, Policy and the Discourses of Heritage in Britain must be on the bookshelf of anyone with an interest in heritage, cultural policy and social inclusion.’

– Laurajane Smith, editor, International Journal of Heritage Studies, School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Heritage andMuseum Studies, Australian National University