The Obscuring of Working Class Heritage in the Province of Groningen, The Netherlands

Burger, Garrett

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/45240 Copy

Description

Title

The Obscuring of Working Class Heritage in the Province of Groningen, The Netherlands

Author(s)

Burger, Garrett

Contributor(s)

Deal, Brian M.

Issue Date

2013

Keyword(s)

• working class heritage
• Netherlands’ National Monument Register
• Dutch heritage policy
• Groningen

Abstract

Working class heritage, defined as the use of the material remains of working class life as a cultural, political, and economic resource in the present, has heretofore been obscured in the Province of Groningen, The Netherlands. But to what extent has this obscuration taken place? Who is responsible for it? And how has this occurred in the country where, according to Ashworth & Kuipers (2004), a greater percentage of the land area has been conserved for heritage purposes than anywhere else in the world? In order to answer these questions, scholarship on working class heritage is reviewed, Dutch heritage policy and The Netherlands’ National Monument Register are analyzed, and a typology of working class heritage and a set of indicators of its obscuration are developed and applied to sites of working class heritage in the province. Halting and reducing the obscuration of working class heritage in Groningen is imperative because has the potential to activate and inform ongoing labor struggles and help working class people build pride in a classist, postindustrial era.

Series/Report Name or Number

MUP Capstone

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45240

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

Network of European-United States Regional and Urban Studies (NEURUS) Program

Owning Collections