Design and Heritage

"This timely volume brings together parallel strands in design history and heritage studies, arguing cogently for the ways in which each might inform the other. In doing so, it emphasises how heritage - and its futures - are designed, and points towards new directions for research and practice in both fields."

~ Rodney Harrison, Professor of Heritage Studies, University College London, UK

"The intersections between heritage and design theories and practices have been surprisingly little explored in either heritage studies or design history. This book, edited by Grace Lees-Maffei and Rebecca Houze, goes a long way towards filling that gap. Following an insightful framework-setting chapter by the editors, an expert set of contributors cover a wide range of design/heritage types from monuments and memorials, cultural landscapes and gardens to dress, textiles, timber products and ceramics. The writers come from a variety of disciplinary contexts and engage impressively with case study material deriving from all continents."

~ William Logan, Professor Emeritus, Deakin University, Australia

"This timely, intellectually engaging and inspirational book focuses on exploring the visual aspects of heritage - from the postcards we send on holiday, to the souvenirs we buy in the museum shop, to the creation of our wedding dress. En route we revisit Old Masters, new technologies, and the built environment. Seen through the prism of design, the richness of material culture presented in this book draws the reader into the engendering and decolonising narratives it embodies. Focusing on a variety of themes - including monuments and materials; landscape, place and visitors experience; craft and industry; textiles and dress; graphics; and digitisation – the book makes a compelling case for the role design plays in the multi-vocality of heritage."

~ Liliana Janik, Deputy Director, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre, University of Cambridge, UK

"All of the contributions in this volume are extremely informative and instructive, both in content and at the conceptual level, because of their thorough interrogation of the respective historical context. They thus provide an in-depth insight into the history and genesis of design as part of heritage issues. For design and heritage researchers, this volume is essential reading. For others, it provides an exciting introduction to the subject."

~ Journal of Design History

"All of the contributions in this volume are extremely informative and instructive, both in content and at the conceptual level, because of their thorough interrogation of the respective historical context. They thus provide an in-depth insight into the history and genesis of design as part of heritage issues. For design and heritage researchers, this volume is essential reading. For others, it provides an exciting introduction to the subject."

~ Gabriele Mentges, Professor of Anthropology of Textiles and Material Culture, Institute of Art and Material Culture, Technische Universität Dortmund, Germany. Journal of Design History, https://doi.org/10.1093/jdh/epac034.

"Design and Heritage, an edited volume with eighteen essays, addresses the multifaceted definitions of these two research areas, expanding on their interconnectedness as academic fields and material cultures and arguing that design and heritage each shape and influence the other in profound ways. The book includes viewpoints from a range of geographic, cultural, and social contexts. This book serves as a solid foundation for fostering more geographically and culturally diverse studies of critical heritage and design history. Each essay challenges the reader to question the political and social implications of design in new and meaningful ways, reflecting on who designs our heritage (objects and experiences) and for whom, as well as whose narratives are used to create national identities. Design and heritage are inherently political; history shows that both can be used to cultivate respect for cultural and social diversity, foster exclusion and misrepresentation, or promote political agendas that lead to ethnic cleansing. This book connects these ideas, highlighting the serious implications of practices of design and heritage that aspire towards creating equitable futures or perpetuate contemporary versions of societal horrors like neocolonization and classism.”

~ Anmol Shrivastava, Design and Culture, https://doi.org/10.1080/17547075.2024.2387880