Culture, Heritage and the Politics of Becoming

Abstract

This article argues that critical heritage studies needs to consider not only what culture and heritage says about a place or space, but also about what kinds of future possibilities and potentialities (becoming) are produced. This involves a thorough understanding about how time works in the narratives that heritage studies develop around a place. Narratives here are imagined as assemblages of signs, symbols, practices and institutions. Using a case study of Cornwall in the South West of the UK, the article considers how assembled narratives of Cornwall impact on how the region is perceived and the effects that this has on future economic development.