Lecture 1: Mapping the Issue of Values
Time
2022.10.25 9:00 a.m. (GMT+8)
Zoom Link
Zoom ID: 88586433927
Password: 549666
Host
Li Guanghan
Assistant Director, World Heritage Training and Research Institute for the Asia and the Pacific Region (WHITRAP Beijing), UNESCO
Discussants
Zhao Peng
Deputy Director, Department of Architectural Heritage, The Palace Museum
Dr. Zhang Lisheng
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Sociology, Peking University
Lecture Abstract
For a long time, value has played an indispensable foundational role in the understanding and conservation of heritage. The political and social transformations of the past half-century have promoted the institutional and professional development of the heritage field, while significantly expanding the space in which diverse groups can assign different values to heritage.
A historical review and analysis of current issues indicate that contemporary heritage conservation is characterized by two distinct yet complementary understandings of value: one is associated with the material and curatorial traditions of conservation practice and can be called “heritage value”; the other focuses on the economic, political, social, and environmental uses of heritage and can be called “social value.”
By integrating these two different yet interdependent perspectives, we can advance reflection and development within the professional field and inspire more sustainable and inclusive conservation practices.
Speaker Profile
Randall F. Mason
Professor, Graduate Program in Historic Preservation
Department of City & Regional Planning
University of Pennsylvania
Professor Randall F. Mason teaches in the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation and is a professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania. He served as Program Chair from 2009 to 2017 and Executive Director of PennPraxis from 2014 to 2017.
His research interests include historic preservation theory, preservation planning, preservation economics, historic site management, and the history and design of memorials.
Before joining the University of Pennsylvania in 2004, Mason worked as a Senior Project Specialist at the Getty Conservation Institute, researching economic and social issues related to heritage conservation. His previous positions include Assistant Professor and Director of Historic Preservation at the University of Maryland, and Associate Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He also has extensive professional consulting experience and co-founded the nonprofit research organization Minerva Partners.
His publications include:
·The Once and Future New York: Historic Preservation and the Modern City (University of Minnesota Press, 2009; winner of the Antoinette Forrester Downing Award)
·Giving Preservation a History: Histories of Historic Preservation in the United States (co-edited with Max Page; Routledge, 2nd edition, 2019)
·Values in Heritage Management (co-edited with Erica Avrami, Susan Macdonald, and David Myers; Getty Publications, 2019)
Contemporary Heritage Theory Lecture Series – Introduction
In recent decades, the attributes, functions, and positioning of cultural heritage in contemporary society have undergone tremendous change. Heritage is no longer a niche field controlled and interpreted by a small group of professionals; it has become a widely discussed social issue.
Beyond focusing on the material condition of heritage itself, heritage conservation and use are increasingly employed by diverse groups as a means of addressing contemporary social and cultural issues. Whether as outcomes of physical conservation or as processes that promote social development, value-centered thinking has always been a key approach in heritage studies.
This lecture series invites Professor Randall Mason of the University of Pennsylvania to conduct a historical review, conceptual clarification, and practical exploration of heritage value and its implications for conservation and social development, using contemporary American society as a case study. It aims to help students from different academic backgrounds understand the dynamic and interdisciplinary nature of heritage studies and promote cross-disciplinary integration.
Upcoming Lectures
Lecture 2: Values and Sustainability
2022.11.08 10:00 a.m. (GMT+8)
Lecture 3: Engaged Preservation
2022.11.22 10:00 a.m. (GMT+8)
This lecture series is supported by the “Peking University Overseas Distinguished Lecture Program” of the Office of International Relations, Peking
University.
