ABSTRACT

This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part draws together some important contributions to understandings of heritage through the lenses of diversity, nationhood, and identity, in particular, the multi-layered identities created by migrations and transnationalism. It highlights a range of experiments of diversifying the national narrative and, taken together, begin to reveal some of the underlying reasons for these issues. The part discusses the diversity into the context of rights-based heritage management, identifying the distinct interpretive approaches. It examines the frameworks of essentialised identities, the difficulties of expressing unity, understandings of nation, and the need for participatory approaches in the production of heritage. The part frames the issues of injustice and inequality by appealing to the importance of a dialogical and participatory approach to heritage. It analyses an intercultural dialogue in museums in Europe, and intercultural communication as a goal rather than a process.