Culture and Perspective at Times of Crisis: State Structures, Private Initiative and the Public Character of Heritage

Culture and Perspective deals with a variety of key aspects concerning heritage management at times of crisis and specifically with the public character of cultural heritage. Special, but not exclusive emphasis, is on the case of Greece. In order to understand, evaluate and reconsider the role of the state in heritage management, contributors address a series of issues including the downgrading and shrinking of state structures, which have been the dominant mechanisms in heritage management; the upgrading and expansion of the role of private initiative towards covering the gap created by the insufficiency of the state; the public character of heritage, in terms of ownership as well as access; and finally the synergies between state structures and private initiatives in view of the public character of heritage. Key themes include: state heritage policies at times of crisis and the legal framework of heritage management; the role of non-government/non-profit agencies; heritage and business enterprise focusing on developmental and energy infrastructures in proximity to historic environments; the role of museums in the current socio-economic environment; and digital media and new types of public engagement that they engender.