Heritage at the interface: interpretation and identity

摘要

In recent years, a plethora of books of varying quality has been published on heritage. This is one of the better ones. Unlike journals which, with the exception of theme issues, usually contain a number of unconnected papers, a good book should have an introduction, a coherent body of supportive information, leading to a conclusion. Most edited books fall somewhere between these two extremes but the better ones are closer to the latter configuration. The book in question contains a brief introduction, 13 chapters and an afterword. It is a book by academics, for academics. All contributions are single-authored, mostly by female authors, although a gendered perspective on heritage, which might have fit well among the other offerings, is lacking and is a significant opportunity for future researchers, authors and editors. The work is generally free of the numbers, graphs, linkage diagrams and statistical tests that are commonly found in journal articles, although a few photographs are included. As such, few of the contributions would likely be welcomed by journal editors. Rather, they are more akin to essays and they are better for that, being generally well-written, usually free of jargon and offering insights into important topics. Each chapter ends with numerous notes which make for easy reading if one is willing to skip them, but can be frustrating if one is interested in sources and supplementary materials. A 'Select Bibliography' and index are provided.