Re-imagining Heritage Interpretation

This book challenges traditional approaches to heritage interpretation and offers an alternative theoretical architecture to the current research and practice. Russell Staiff suggests that the dialogue between visitors and heritage places has been too focused on learning outcomes, and so heritage interpretation has become dominated by psychology and educational theory, and over-reliant on outdated thinking. Using his background as an art historian and experience teaching heritage and tourism courses, Russell Staiff weaves personal observation with theory in an engaging and lively way. He recognizes that the 'digital revolution' has changed forever the way that people interact with their environment and that a new approach is needed. This book will be of interest not only to students in heritage management, heritage tourism, heritage interpretation and museum studies, but also to museum professionals responsible for interpretation programmes.

Chapter 1 Prologue: the known, the unknown and other ruminations; Chapter 1a Anecdotes and observations; Chapter 2 Tilden: beyond resurrection; Chapter 3 The somatic and the aesthetic: embodied heritage experiences; Chapter 4 Visual cultures: imagining and knowing through looking; Chapter 5 Narratives and narrativity: the story is the thing; Chapter 6 Digital media and social networking; Chapter 7 Conversing across cultures; Chapter 8 Enchantment, wonder and other raptures: imaginings outside didacticism;