The potential of participatory practice to positively engage both under-represented and established audiences in heritage

The heritage and museums sector has been actively seeking to widen who and what ‘counts’ as heritage and what in the historic environment is recognised as important, following acknowledgement over the past few decades that heritage has not always been as inclusive of everyone in society as it could be. But often, more traditional framings of heritage still hold sway. Addressing this issue has included creating spaces for previously less visible groups or telling unheard stories, as well as leveraging the inclusive nature of creative practice via Historic England’s (HE) creative and participatory programmes. Indeed, we hypothesise that participatory practice has arguably been effective in engaging both new and existing audiences: whether new, project-based programming such as HE’s Hi! Street Fest outdoor arts parades; local development such as Heritage Action Zones and Everyday Heritage Grants; or traditional practices, projects, and performances as intangible cultural heritage. However, more work is needed to understand how and when these positive effects happen, and how they can be appropriately and effectively embedded into policy and practice. This gap in knowledge – about what participatory practices are most effective in positively engaging both previously under-represented and established audiences with heritage, and how – is reflected in a clear and vital need for HE. New evidence, understandings and practical strategies are needed to ensure that this work, and the heritage it reflects, is truly inclusive of new and existing audiences – that is, everyone. This studentship will therefore ask: How can Historic England leverage the inclusive potential of participatory practice to ensure that opportunities to care for, enjoy, and celebrate England’s historic environment are positively taken up by all? This studentship will evaluate participatory heritage practices and initiatives, and make recommendations based on this new knowledge to inform HE and the wider sector. The methodology will be shaped with input from the student but will combine traditional and creative practice-based approaches, enabling the candidate to combine method and subject of research in an original, engaging, inclusive and participatory way whilst still obtaining robust, actionable findings. The student will first explore available data evaluating the successes and challenges of such practices in positively engaging both new and existing audiences. They will then undertake a placement with a live HE project working with internal and external stakeholders and audiences to identify practical recommendations.