Participative co-creation of archaeological heritage: Case insights on creative tourism in Alentejo, Portugal
Introduction
While there are many channels to communicate the past and engage with archaeological knowledge, standard approaches to managing archaeological heritage as a cultural tourism resource still centre mostly on the provision of an experiential engagement with the material remains of the past (McManamon, 1993; Ramsey & Everitt, 2008; Willems & Dunning, 2015). Such significance ascribed to the material dimension of heritage implies that dynamic processes that encapsulate the intangible are ill accounted for and inadequately supported in cases in which physical fabric is lost.
In general, preventive archaeology projects aimed at identifying, recording, evaluating and managing historical sites for posterity focus on monumentality and aesthetic value at the expense of other aspects (Demoule, 2012). For instance, the construction of dams often leads to the submergence of archaeological remains. Although developers undertake measures to preserve knowledge about the region's past, conventional approaches to developing archaeological tourism do not capture fully the complexity required to maintain effective engagement with the local heritage in the post-dam scenario when physical remains are unavailable (Adams, 2007; WCD, 2000). Similarly, an archaeological site that has been excavated acquires new meanings in the process of losing its tangible heritage. Indeed, authors underscore how intangible elements of archaeological heritage (e.g. scientific knowledge, local memory and values associated to the historical remains and emotions they evoke in individuals) keep it alive in collective memory (Carboni & de Luca, 2016; Ross, Saxena, Correia, & Deutz, 2017). This paper extends these theoretical debates by demonstrating a complex and contradictory series of processes underpinning creative enterprise of providers in the selling of (im)material resources and spaces and making them desirable for tourists.
Our aim is to examine the tourism potential of (in)tangible archaeological heritage and the role of providers in creating memorable experiences from it. This work demonstrates how the creative ingenuity of tourism providers not only offers a framework for the symbolic construction of the past, but also enhances what Crang and Tolia-Kelly (2010) call “the affective energy and emotive force of heritage” (p. 2316). Thus, while like Crang and Tolia-Kelly we are interested in the (in)tangibility of heritage sites, our concern is more with classifying and cataloguing processes that underlie the (re)making of physically inaccessible archaeological heritage, encapsulating fluid and dynamic facets of a region's histories and interpretations. Overall, our work has a two-fold focus: i) to what extent can archaeological heritage that has been destroyed or relocated serve as a potential cultural and creative tourism resource? and ii) what role does the mosaic of traditions, creative interpretations and experiences embodied by tourism providers play in conceptualising their role in commodifying archaeological heritage? In doing so, we respond to authors' calls for “putting the soul into archaeology” (van der Linde, van den Dries, & Wait, 2018, p. 181) by taking a creative, interpretive approach that engages with multiple notions of what constitutes heritage to inspire and relate with a wider range of audiences. The emphasis is on both emotive narratives and scientific interpretations that provide more interactive or adaptive experiences to visitors (Roussou, Ripanti, & Servi, 2017; van der Linde & van der Dries, 2015).
In the next section, following a review of research on providers' creative interpretations linked to conservation approaches of cultural heritage, we present our conceptual framework underlining how participative co-creation of archaeological heritage embodies varied activities that may be perceived as diverging from routine ways of thinking, but that allow both tourists and providers an outlet for realising their creative potential and engaging with notions of the past. The paper then illustrates how the memory of archaeological monuments is used as a tourism resource in Alentejo (Portugal) and elaborates upon the constructivist research design we followed. Our findings illustrate how, even in cases of total physical absence, archaeological sites remain entangled with the lives of both locals and tourists, instilling feelings of an intricate connection and accountability. Indeed, as Shurmer-Smith and Hannam (1994) underscore, heritage conservation is not simply about conserving the traces of the past, but also about actively (re)creating and sustaining the reality of the world that has been destroyed to minimise its disappearance symbolically. The paper concludes with an emphasis on the need to infuse archaeological discourse with providers' creative (re)presentations that can inform the design and development of evocative experiences at heritage-rich destinations.
Section snippets
Literature review
The use of archaeological heritage as tourism resource entails its conversion into a modern commodity through a process of careful selection and elimination to direct the tourist's gaze towards particular facets (Hubbard & Lilley, 2000). However, the process of promotion and marketing of heritage sites and securing a new economic role for them is often conceived from the perspective of consumption rather than production (Waitt & McGuirk, 1997). Thus, providers' tactics in developing creative
Archaeological heritage in Alentejo
Alentejo's tourism image is predicated on its countryside and rurality as well as cultural heritage and historic sites from megalithic, Roman and medieval ages. The construction of the Alqueva dam in 2002 created the largest artificial lake in Western Europe, representing a major turning point for local farming that was frequently affected by severe drought (Fig. 3). Given the region's archaeological richness, Alqueva dam construction plans included extensive preventive archaeology surveys that
Discussion and analysis
This section discusses participants' roles and creative skills in enhancing the tourism potential of Alentejo's archaeological heritage as they calibrate their creative practices to infuse it with new meanings. The real value of participative co-creation of archaeological tourism lies in the successful (re)creation of meaningful experiences whereby interface with the heritage is optimised despite the physical loss. Thus, we focus on the role of providers' skills and the interconnected nature of
Conclusion
In sum, we argue that our study into the participative co-creation of archaeological heritage enables the conceptual connection between the material loss of historic monuments and creative efforts at work that seek to minimise their disappearance at the symbolic level. Thus, this study adds to a growing body of literature on the social value of archaeological heritage (Parga & González, 2019), specifically on the significance of placing “micro-stories” at the heart of archaeological
Dr. David Ross is a Research Associate at the University of Exeter Business School. His research interests focus on cultural heritage management, cultural and creative tourism, and critical heritage studies. Email: [email protected]
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Dr. David Ross is a Research Associate at the University of Exeter Business School. His research interests focus on cultural heritage management, cultural and creative tourism, and critical heritage studies. Email: [email protected]
Professor Gunjan Saxena has published extensively on Integrated Rural Tourism. Her current research focuses on creative enterprise in marginal communities with a particular thrust on how women owned small and micro firms contribute to sustaining the vibrancy of rural economies.