Our team is organasing a session in the Eighth World Archaeological Congress (Kyoto, 28 August-2 September 2016). Papers about social innovation in the field of cultural heritage will be welcome.
Title: Cultural Heritage and Social Innovation
Theme: (T08) The Public, Heritage and Museums
Organiser(s): Jesús Fernández Fernández (UCL/UK)
Alexander Herrera Wassilowsky (Universidad de los Andes/Colombia)
Oscar Navajas Corral (La Ponte ecomuseum/Spain)
Carmen Pérez Maestro (La Ponte ecomuseum/Spain)
Type: Symposium
Contact: j.fernandez-fernandez@ucl.ac.uk
Abstract: The main consequence of the current global economical and social crisis is a progressive erosion of the welfare state. In this context, ‘social innovation’ as a concept takes on increasing importance worldwide as it is fundamental to achieve a systematic and integral social amelioration. The aim of this session is to bring together practical experiences of socially innovative persons or organisations in order to introduce an academic debate on the importance that social innovation represents in the field of cultural heritage and also to measure its scope.
In the field of cultural heritage, we use the term ‘social innovation’ when the following conditions are met:
1. New solutions – e.g. products, services, models, methodologies, processes – are created complying best with the objectives of cultural heritage management.
2. Certain social needs (e.g. access to education, knowledge, culture, quality employment, new technologies, participation and democracy, environmental conservation, sustainable development, social inclusion, integration and gender equality) are met.
3. New types of relationships and/or synergies are created between citizens or between citizens and institutions in relation to cultural heritage management.
The questions we propose for discussion are: Does cultural heritage contribute to create social innovations? Are the organisations in charge of cultural heritage management socially innovative? To which extent? How could they become more innovative? Who innovates and where?
Keywords: Cultural Heritage, Social Innovation, social needs and demands
Congress website: http://wac8.org/