Canadian Academy Discover, Publish, Thrive
The involvement of diverse stakeholders, especially marginalized groups, is essential for fostering inclusivity in cultural heritage management. Despite the importance of engaging youth, their participation remains limited due to underestimated capacities and lack of motivation. Existing research lacks a comprehensive understanding of youth participation in cultural heritage management. An integrative literature review reveals insights into defining youth roles, levels of participation, and engagement methods but falls short in addressing the dynamic nature of youth involvement and lacks their perspectives. A proposed conceptual framework, encompassing purpose, positioning, perspectives, and power relations, aims to theoretically and methodologically define youth participation in cultural heritage management.
The management of cultural heritage has evolved beyond the realm of heritage professionals, now involving collaboration with multiple stakeholders including communities and social groups, contributing to more inclusive societies and sustainable development. Inclusive practices have become central to heritage management, challenging traditional definitions and approaches dominated by official narratives and experts. Critical Heritage Studies advocate for a broader understanding of heritage, incorporating diverse perspectives and voices. However, the dominance of Authorized Heritage Discourse often marginalizes underrepresented community groups, hindering inclusive decision-making processes. Engaging local communities, including young people, is crucial for reflecting diverse values and promoting democratic heritage management. Despite recognition of youth as agents of change by organizations like UNESCO, their participation in heritage management remains limited due to various barriers including lack of awareness and opportunities. Societal views towards youth often underestimate their capabilities, further hindering their engagement. Moreover, existing policies often fail to address the diverse contexts and needs of youth, particularly in the Global South. Recognizing youth as a heterogeneous group is essential for incorporating their perspectives effectively into heritage management. While theories on youth participation exist in urban planning, there’s a lack of academic studies and theoretical frameworks specifically addressing youth participation in cultural heritage management. Integrating theories from participatory urban planning and governance could provide a comprehensive approach to youth participation in heritage management. Through an integrative literature review, this paper aims to construct a conceptual framework to address the role of youth and dimensions of their participation in cultural heritage management.
In prior sections, the involvement of young people in managing cultural heritage was discussed, focusing on their definition, participation levels, and engagement methods. However, existing models often assume participation is inherently positive, neglecting potential negative outcomes. Participation’s dynamic nature, influenced by historical, cultural, and economic factors, challenges linear models. While scholars have mapped youth participation hierarchies, a dynamic framework is lacking in heritage management. Hence, a new framework is proposed, focusing on purpose, positioning, perspectives, and power relations, acknowledging participation’s fluidity.
Defining youth’s purpose involves ethical considerations and integrating their discourse in decision-making for sustained commitment. Recognizing diverse interpretations of heritage among youth and adults is crucial. Positioning youth involves more than age; self-definition fosters agency and active roles in decision-making. Cultural narratives influence youth’s positioning, but self-positioning empowers them to define roles. Encouraging critical self-positioning promotes diverse youth representation and peer collaborations.
Acknowledging diverse perspectives and inequalities within participatory practices is vital. Recognizing marginalized voices and addressing inequities are essential. Power dynamics shape participation levels, requiring efforts to empower youth without imposing control. Engaging youth in power dynamics fosters meaningful participation.
The framework emphasizes interconnections between dimensions and critical aspects of youth participation. Each dimension influences critical aspects, shaping participatory practices. Empowering youth through co-designing purposes and fostering self-identity promotes bottom-up initiatives. Active involvement incentivizes diverse perspectives’ inclusion, while understanding power dynamics enhances decision-making responsibilities.
Overall, the proposed framework aims to stimulate youth’s narratives across dimensions, fostering long-term commitment and inclusion of marginalized perspectives. Understanding power relations empowers youth in decision-making processes, ensuring meaningful participation in cultural heritage management.
This paper examines various theories on youth participation in urban planning, design, governance, and heritage management, highlighting their contributions. While these frameworks promote integrating youth into management systems and fostering their active societal contribution, they often assume the inherent value of youth participation without critically reflecting on issues like voice, agency, and empowerment within hierarchical structures. There’s a notable absence of discourse on integrating diverse youth perspectives into dominant narratives in heritage practices, leading to tokenism and limited engagement. Existing models primarily reflect Western notions of youth, overlooking their diverse vulnerabilities and inequities. To address these shortcomings, a new conceptual framework for youth participation in cultural heritage management is proposed, emphasizing purpose, positioning, perspectives, and power relations. The framework advocates for iterative participatory processes over fixed outcomes and encourages youth to shape their participation based on their perspectives. Future research should explore additional vulnerabilities and inequities facing youth, refine the framework for diverse contexts, and leverage digital technologies for innovative participatory methods.
Source:
Yingxin Zhang, Deniz Ikiz Kaya, Pieter van Wesemael & Bernard J. Colenbrander (2024) Youth participation in cultural heritage management: a conceptual framework, International Journal of Heritage Studies, 30:1, 56-80, DOI: 10.1080/13527258.2023.2275261