The politics of community heritage: motivations, authority and control

Abstract The community and heritage connection is one that is almost considered so natural an affinity it hardly needs justification or explanation. This paper looks critically at how community and heritage are understood and what arises when the two are brought together. Through the consideration of examples in Northern Ireland, the meaning of such engagement is explored with emphasis on motivations, issues of authority and the value of community‐heritage engagement as a means of control. Keywords: communityheritagemuseumcontestationNorthern Ireland Notes 1. http://www.community-relations.org.uk Accessed 7 December 2009. 2. For background information see: http://www.ccruni.gov.uk/ and http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/communityrelationsunit/index.htm; and http://www.nicrc.org.uk/. 3. William Blair, Museums Service Officer, preface of Mid‐Antrim Museums Service (Citation2008) Making History in Mid Antrim, published as a record of the project. 4. For further details of their work see: http://www.seupb.eu/ Accessed 7 December 2009. 5. EU Special Programme for Peace and Reconciliation Operational Programme 2000–2004 (quote from p. 31). Available from: http://www.seupb.eu/documents/PEACE%20II%20Operational%20Programme/FINAL%20CLEAN.pdf Accessed 9 February 2009. 6. Ibid. (quote from p. 40). 7. As described in the Grant Application to the PEACE II programme for the Carrickfergus Community History Programme, November 2005. 8. For further information see: http://www.asharedfutureni.gov.uk/ Accessed 7 December 2009. 9. http://www.seupb.eu/aboutsus/about-us.aspx Accessed 7 December 2009. 10. Since December 1999, devolution and the Northern Ireland Assembly has been suspended for three periods regarding concerns about decommissioning of weapons and the ceasefire. 11. www.museumoffreederry.org Accessed 7 December 2009. 12. For more on the event see http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/bsunday/ Accessed 7 December 2009. 13. http://www.bloodysundaytrust.org/ Accessed 13 February 2009. 14. Points raised by local people in conversation with me.