Abstract
This paper explores how cultural institutions can engage with local communities in processes of heritage interpretation through participatory practice. It focuses on an ongoing doctoral project centred on the UNESCO-listed lighthouse of the Tower of Hercules in A Coruña (Galicia, Spain), the Archaeology and History Museum, and local communities. The aim is to understand how narratives are used and reinterpreted by different community actors, and to foster collaboration between the museum, the UNESCO site, and local communities by highlighting lesser-known meanings that the lighthouse’s associated legends hold today for the local population. The project is relevant both as a case of shared stewardship in heritage interpretation and as an example of cultural institutions’ interconnection with community memory and heritage transmission. Positioned within Heritage Studies and Citizen Humanities, the work engages with critical debates on museum collaboration and intangible heritage. Methodologically, it adopts a practice-based and qualitative approach grounded in collaborative planning. Activities are currently being co-designed with the museum and grassroots groups. The next stages involve working with local associations through museum workshops, using tools such as collective storytelling, memory mapping, and audio-visual documentation to support oral history collection and transmission. Preliminary outcomes show strong potential for reconnecting institutional narratives with diverse experiences, while challenges include overcoming ingrained official discourses and adapting to varied participant backgrounds. The project suggests that cultural institutions can serve as inclusive hubs for engagement, enabling space for diverse memories and voices within museum displays.
Presenters
Francesco ArestiPhD Fellow (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - MSCA), Faculty of Geography and History, Department of Art History, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Doctoral Network AntCom – From Antiquity to Community, Spain
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Heritage Studies, Citizen Humanities, Museums and Communities, Community Engagement
