Interpreting History, Heritage – or Politics?

When I recently visited Germany on my first research study visit, my interviewees used two terms to describe interpretive foci, which I found quite intriguing: ‘Ereignisgeschichte’ (event history) and ‘Rezeptionsgeschichte’ (reception history). We don’t generally use these terms in English and in our writings. However, I wonder if they can go some way in helping … Continue reading Interpreting History, Heritage – or Politics? →

And this is what I mean by heritage, and interpretation (at my current site)

Last week, I had one of those exciting conversations with a colleague, which reminded me of why I’m doing what I’m doing. This particular colleague doesn’t have a background in heritage, and I was trying to explain to them what I wanted our interpretation to achieve at our site. In fact, so removed is their … Continue reading And this is what I mean by heritage, and interpretation (at my current site) →

Interpretation is…inspiration

I vividly remember one incident while I worked at Culloden Battlefield in Scotland. A visitor stopped me, his eyes glowing. ‘Where,’ he asked, ‘did William Wallace fight in the battle?’ He went on to tell me that he had seen the film Braveheart and it had inspired him to visit Scotland, and Culloden. Of course, … Continue reading Interpretation is…inspiration →