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Id 2237
Author Jansson I.-M.
Title Challenging the problem of un-democratic participation: from destruction to re-construction of heritage
Reference

Jansson I.-M. Challenging the problem of un-democratic participation: from destruction to re-construction of heritage,Journal of Documentation 79 2

Keywords
Link to article https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85136506601&doi=10.1108%2fJD-01-2022-0025&partnerID=40&md5=5145f1dd5a36f9586f6bb656a6f37e4d
Abstract Purpose: The present study aims to contribute to the understanding of digital participation in heritage collections as a democratizing practice by identifying and challenging silent assumptions concerning how the insufficient influence of participants is conceived of as a problem. Design/methodology/approach: Three carefully selected scholarly texts incorporating problematizations of insufficient participatory agency were analyzed in detail using a method inspired by Carol Bacchi's approach “what's the problem represented to be?” (WPR), with special emphasis on analysis of ontological elements of the problematizations. Findings: Participation is problematized based on the assumption that participatory agency risks jeopardizing the protection of heritage and leads to parts of the public memory being forgotten. To challenge the idea that participatory agency is destructive, the present article argues for elaborating an understanding of what forgetting entails for heritage. Framing forgetting as a potentially both harmful and generative concept enables a separation of destructive forgetting (e.g. destruction of historical evidence) and constructive forgetting (re-contextualization). Research limitations/implications: The study is based on a limited number of texts, and problematizations are investigated in relation to a specific perspective on participatory agency. Practical implications: By understanding forgetting as a potentially beneficial activity for representation and heritage construction, the article provides a conceptual rationale for facilitating re-contextualization in the design of multi-layered information structures for heritage collections. Originality/value: There is little earlier research on the silent assumptions that affect how participation is understood and implemented. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Metodology

DOI 10.1108/JD-01-2022-0025
Search Database Scopus
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