Overseas Distinguished Scholar Program – Introduction
To accelerate progress toward becoming a world-class university, Peking University has established the “Overseas Distinguished Scholar Program.” The program invites renowned scholars and leading figures across disciplines to deliver a series of lectures for the university community. It aims to strengthen academic development, cultivate internationally oriented talent, and enhance the university’s global academic influence and standing.
Contemporary Heritage Theory Lecture Series – Introduction
In recent decades, the attributes, functions, and roles of cultural heritage in contemporary society have undergone profound changes. Heritage is no longer a niche field interpreted only by a small group of professionals; it has become a widely discussed social concern.
In addition to focusing on the material condition of heritage itself, conservation and utilization are increasingly used by diverse groups as tools to address contemporary social and cultural issues. Whether as outcomes of material preservation or as drivers of social development, value-centered thinking has always been a core approach in heritage studies.
This lecture series invites Professor Randall Mason of the University of Pennsylvania to conduct historical reflection, conceptual clarification, and practical exploration of heritage values and their implications for conservation and social development, using contemporary American society as a case study. It aims to help students from diverse academic backgrounds understand the dynamic and interdisciplinary nature of heritage studies, and to promote cross-disciplinary integration.
About the Speaker
Randall F. Mason
Professor
Graduate Program in Historic Preservation
Department of City & Regional Planning
University of Pennsylvania
Professor Randall F. Mason is a faculty member in the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation and 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 as 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, where he researched 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 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)
Lecture Series Abstracts
1. Mapping the Issue of Values
Lecture 1 – Heritage Value Foundations Revisited
10.25 09:00 AM (GMT+8)
For a long time, value has played an indispensable foundational role in the understanding and conservation of heritage. Political and social transformations over the past half-century have promoted institutional and professional development in the heritage field while significantly expanding the range of interpretations through which diverse groups assign value to heritage.
A historical review and analysis of current issues suggest that contemporary heritage conservation is characterized by two distinct yet complementary understandings of value: one associated with the material and curatorial traditions of conservation practice, which can be called “heritage value”; and another focused on the economic, political, social, and environmental uses of heritage, which can be called “social value.”
Integrating these two interdependent perspectives can advance reflection and development in the field and inspire more sustainable and inclusive conservation practices.
2. Values and Sustainability
Lecture 2 – Heritage and Sustainability
11.08 10:00 AM (GMT+8)
Value is a key foundation of heritage sustainability. Its meanings evolve over time, linking inherited material and past experiences with contemporary society.
Values-centered conservation is a framework of understanding and decision-making that integrates both the dynamic realities of contemporary society and the materiality of historic environments. As heritage becomes increasingly intertwined with broader social issues, this framework has strong potential to support policymaking and adapt to emerging power relations, thereby contributing to sustainable heritage development.
3. Engaged Preservation
Lecture 3 – Participatory Conservation
11.22 10:00 AM (GMT+8)
Heritage conservation is a field deeply connected to real social conditions. In response to contemporary challenges, engaged preservation carries a dual mission—both social and material—embracing heritage as both a carrier of historical tradition and an agent of social change.
By integrating material conservation with social needs, this approach promotes community development, conservation practice, and cultural diversity, while reweaving historic sites and narratives into the spatial and social fabric of regions.
