Community-led Heritage Knowledge Co-Production for Sustainable Development: community archaeology in Ulster and the Western Isles of Scotland

几个世纪以来，爱尔兰北部海岸和苏格兰西部因共同的文化传统、语言和政治结构而紧密相连。这是一个海上省份，由短而容易通航的海上航线连接起来，在15世纪的群岛领主统治时期，这是一个高潮。不断变化的政治格局和其他社会经济变化意味着这些社区之间的共同身份和联系几乎消失了，苏格兰岛屿社区曾经是这个王国的中心，现在经历了地理和社会的边缘地位，以及由此带来的许多问题。随着北爱尔兰问题的爆发，长期的冲突使国家封闭，使经济增长陷入瘫痪，北爱尔兰变得越来越孤立。随着阿尔斯特跌跌撞撞地走出冲突，社区的一部分人越来越多地回顾过去，在当代社会中重申和重新定位自己。联合主义传统的大部分人将目光投向苏格兰，在新兴的阿尔斯特苏格兰传统中定义自己的身份和历史。民族主义团体仍然牢牢地扎根于向南寻找其文化身份的盖尔爱尔兰传统。与此同时，一种新的民族意识正在苏格兰形成，因为政客们接受了一种选择性地看待过去的观点，这种观点忽视了爱尔兰岛东北部和其他地区人民的作用。然而，考古学越来越多地证明了这些社区之间联系的深度。例如，最近对17世纪邓卢斯城堡小镇的发掘，生动地证实了这一地区的共同遗产通过相互联系的经济、家庭联系和文化传统，一直延续到近代早期。我们提出了一个项目，在阿尔斯特和西苏格兰建立一个研究网络（阿尔斯特大学、贝尔法斯特女王大学、格拉斯哥大学、北爱尔兰环境署、历史悠久的苏格兰和基尔马丁房屋信托基金），并与项目区域的三个社区(科隆赛遗产信托基金和基尔查坦小学、科隆赛布什米尔斯遗产集团、安特里姆的Ballintoy社区团体和Millstrand综合小学以及阿盖尔中部的Tavvallich村社区团体和Tayvallich小学。这将建立一个共同过去的意识，挑战和质疑当代版本的身份和地方。它将通过促进目前在Colonsay开发遗产中心的建议，在经济复兴和增强社区福祉方面发挥作用。我们将以现有的机构和社区联系为基础，在该地区的高等教育机构、社区团体、学校和遗产组织之间建立研究人员与社区的伙伴关系。我们将汇集项目区域内现有的考古研究和资源，以及考古调查和调查的初步计划的结果，于2011年5月/ 6月提供三个开放日（分别在科伦塞、基尔马丁博物馆和安特里姆的金贝恩），为三所学校（分别来自科伦塞、阿盖尔中部和安特里姆）提供一个社交网络计划，并由阿尔斯特大学主办一个网站和在线博客，以支持社区研究人员的互动。这将刺激研究人员与社区之间的对话，支持未来社区主导的高级别基金资金申请，以及联合制作的遗产研究项目的潜在申请。2012年9月/ 10月与社区和研究伙伴举行的一轮后续会议和讲习班将进一步支持这一进程。该项目最终将设计和制作海报、手工艺品和数字展览，在每个项目区域展示，然后永久安置在Colonsay的村庄大厅，直接支持Colonsay遗产信托。

For centuries the north coast of Ireland and Western Scotland were intrinsically linked by a common set of cultural traditions, language and political structures. This was a maritime province connected by short and easily navigable sea routes that had its high-water mark with the fifteenth-century Century Lordship of the Isles. The shifting political landscape and other socio-economic changes have meant that the shared identities and connections between these communities have all but vanished, and the Scottish Island communities that were once at the centre of this kingdom now experience geographical and social peripherality and the many problems this brings. With the onset of the Troubles Northern Ireland became increasingly isolated as the extended period of conflict closed the country and paralysed economic growth. As Ulster stutters out of conflict sections of the community are looking increasingly to the past to reaffirm and reposition themselves in contemporary society. Large sections of the unionist tradition look towards Scotland to define their identities and histories in an emerging Ulster Scots tradition. The nationalist community remains firmly embedded in a Gaelic Irish tradition that looks southwards for its cultural identities. Simultaneously, a new sense of nationhood is being developed in Scotland as politicians embrace a selective view of the past that sidelines the role the peoples of the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and others. Yet increasingly, archaeology is demonstrating the depth of connections between these communities and recent excavations of the seventeenth-century town at Dunluce Castle, for example, have confirmed vividly that the shared heritage of this region extended well into the early modern period through a linked economy, familial connections and cultural traditions. We propose a project to develop a researcher network across Ulster and Western Scotland (University of Ulster, Queen's University Belfast, Glasgow University, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Historic Scotland and the Kilmartin House Trust and co-produce this historic resource working with three communities in the project area (Colonsay Heritage Trust and Kilchattan Primary School, Colonsay Bushmills Heritage Group, Ballintoy Community Group and Millstrand Integrated Primary School in Antrim and Tavvallich Village Commnity Group and Tayvallich Primary School in Mid Argyll. This will build an awareness of a shared past and challenge and question contemporary versions of identity and place. It will play a part in economic regeneration and enhanced community well-being by contributing to current proposals to develop a heritage centre on Colonsay. We will build on established institutional and community links to create a researcher-community partnership between HE institutions, community groups, schools and heritage organisations within the region. We will bring together existing archaeological research and resources within the project area and findings from an initial programme of archaeological survey and investigation to deliver three open days in May/June 2011 (one each in Colonsay, Kilmartin museum and Kinbane, Antrim), a social networking programme for three schools (one each from Colonsay, Mid Argyll and Antrim) and a web site and online blog to support community-researcher interaction, hosted by the University of Ulster. This will stimulate researcher-community dialogue, support future community-led applications for HLF funding and potential applications for co-produced heritage research projects. A round of follow up meetings and workshops with community and research partners in September/October 2012 will further support this process. The project will culminate in the design and production of a poster, artefact and digital exhibit, displayed in each project area before being permanently housed initially at the village hall on Colonsay to directly support the Colonsay Heritage Trust.