ABSTRACT
The ‘ whose heritage?’ problem, which appears to be universal, possesses two facets: (i) what we identify as heritage, and (ii) how we interpret what is so labelled. In the first case, people identify an inheritance; in the second, a recognized inheritance is appropriated. By either route, the selectivity involved may be based upon such variables as cultural affinity, political affiliation or social class (Tunbridge 1984; Ashworth and Tunbridge 1990). A striking illustration of class dissonance concerns both the identification and interpretation of Glasgow's heritage, pivotal to its role as the European City of Culture in 1990, and thereby to the many conferences held there during that year (Boyle and Hughes 1991).
