Local Community Involvement in Heritage
Following the above community involvement in heritage and a socially sensitive approach to conservation which takes into consideration locals'needs and views have become central to arguments on heritage sustainability.“This does not undermine the role of the conservation professional,but suggests that the ability of the expert also to become a facilitator needs to be developed.”Or in other words,it suggests that community perceptions of their heritage and its management can add to more effective,democratic and welcome conservation policies(Townshend and Pendlebury,1999).
Indeed,the very fact that community lives and interacts with their heritage means that they can provide local knowledge which is difficult to obtain.This knowledge can significantly contribute to heritage conservation and management.
A key question at this stage is what we mean by community?What does the term community stand for?The concept of community is complex and there are not clear-cut definitions,while a number of scholars in different disciplines have argued on the concept and its meaning.However,there is a general agreement that communities are groups of people formed both out of self-interest and interest of the wider group.Members of the community“belong”to this community in a sense that they share its interests,beliefs,goals and/or values or they simply present similar characteristics.While,for a long time communities were confined within geographical limits(geographical communities),i.e.people who live and belong in the same geographic place.It was understood that communities expand beyond places.Communities,for example,can be cultural,i.e.groups of people who share the same culture without being necessarily in the same place,or interest based,i.e.people who share a common interest and passion and they are or they are not located in the same geographical place.Community is very much associated with a common identity,i.e.people who share common characteristics in terms of their identity.According to a number of sociologists,“community is an incomplete process through which people construct and create identities,and bond themselves to others,whether geographically,virtually or imaginatively.”(Neal and Walters,2008)As Cohen succinctly puts it,“Community exists in the minds of its members,and should not be confused with geographic or sociographic assertions of‘fact’.By extension,the distinctiveness of communities and,thus,the reality of their boundaries,similarly lies in the mind,in the meanings which people attach to them,not in the structural forms.”(Cohen,1985)
In heritage context community is very much associated with the geographical confines within which heritage under consideration is located,as it is the people who live and have collective and individual experiences with heritage and their life may be affected by interventions in or conservation policies for this heritage.It is worthwhile noting however that as communities are social creations they are continuously in motion(Waterton and Smith,2010)and they constantly change.Not only do new people come in already established communities but also experiences,values,beliefs and perceptions change within the community.It is therefore important to bear in mind that when we talk about communities in heritage context we do not talk about fixed groups of people which remain unchanged and therefore people's needs,priorities and goals may change and that is one of the most important reasons to involve communities in heritage management and conservation.
Moreover,communities are not necessarily homogeneous.We talk about community involvement in heritage implying that“community”is a unified concept.However,community may involve different groups of people and stakeholders with different interests,values,beliefs and backgrounds.Hence,community involvement in heritage should ensure that the different groups and stakeholders are identified and equally represented and heard without focusing on a selective group of community,i.e.middle and upper class citizens,which is“entitled”to represent community as a whole.“Therefore community is about unity as much is about difference,harmony and conflict,mutuality and selfishness,separateness and wholeness.”(Waterton and Smith,2010)(https://www.daowen.com)
Community involvement and participation in the context of heritage management and tourism development constitutes a hot topic for discussion today as it has been recognized that top down approaches followed for many years cannot really go beyond the mere protection of physical structures and definitely they cannot be sustainable.There are various types and models of community participation,however broadly speaking we can refer to three general types:coercive participation,induced participation,and spontaneous participation(Tosun,2006;Zhang,2013).Coercive community participation is the lowest level of participation;residents have minimum power over heritage and tourism development.In coercive participation community is usually just informed about heritage conservation and management policies and actions which are already defined and decided by heritage experts and policy makers.Community members might be involved in some predefined activities relating to tourism destination promotions,or they might receive some benefits and incentives but they cannot influence and co-shape by any means the decision making.Induced participation relates to a form of involvement in which residents have a voice in heritage management,however,they do not have real power and control over the decisions made by the relevant institutions.In spontaneous participation on the contrary the power of decision making is in the hands of local residents,being a completely bottom up approach.Other types of community participation may lie between the above aforementioned ones.
When community is considered and involved while shaping heritage management and conservation policies and strategies,it is useful to be aware of the aspects that may influence participation.The level and type of participation may be influenced by various factors,some of the most important ones are the following:motivation,opportunity,and ability.
Motivation refers to residents'eagerness and interest to involve in the process of heritage management and conservation.In order to increase community participation and engagement it is important to think creatively about the ways in which we can encourage people's motivation.Opportunity concerns certain preconditions such as the political will,systems,set of laws and channels that allow and make possible the residents'participation.It is therefore crucial to ensure that the above mechanisms facilitate community participation and they do not pose obstacles instead.Finally,ability refers to people's capacity to engage and depends on factors such as knowledge,skills,socio-economic and cultural background,race and sex.For instance,people of a certain religion,or cultural background,or less educated people have systematically been excluded from plans and decisions related to heritage in their area or their participation has been very limited(Rasoolimanesh,2016).Encouraging and supporting inclusiveness is key in developing meaningful participation processes which allow everyone to get involved and be heard.
Encountering all the factors mentioned above in heritage management and conservation policies and processes can enhance community participation and involvement which in turn can contribute significantly to the sustainable development of places with heritage resources.