What is Heritage?

A Robarts Centre Visiting Professor in Canadian Studies Talk. (20 November 2019) Dr. Ashley (Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne) shares some personal perspectives on ‘what is heritage’ and how tangible and intangible heritage is valued. Starting from her experiences as a front-line interpreter, planner, consultant, and now academic in the field of heritage, Dr. Ashley examines heritage as a sensibility about the past. She will weave these ideas into her stories of work and research experiences over the years with sites of heritage-making across Canada and in the U.K. Susan Ashley is a cultural studies scholar interested in what, how and why heritage knowledge is created, shaped, communicated and consumed in the public sphere. Dr Ashley has published widely, including A Museum in Public (2019) with Routledge and Diverse Spaces: Identity, Heritage and Community in Canadian Public Culture (2013). She has 20 years of experience with culture and heritage sites across Canada.