Heritage, Time, Industrial Change, and Inequality in the Rural British Idyll

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While responding to calls for a foregrounding of political economy and class in the study of culture, I bring togetherdiscussions of time and heritage in my proposal to examine narrative-construction in the face of increasing socialpolarisation. I ask: How are experiences of time and projects of heritage shaping narratives of history and place in theface of industrial change and economic inequality in rural Britain? In my proposed field sites of Newlyn and Mousehole,Cornwall, the traditional fishing industry has been gradually replaced in economic significance by tourism and the servicesector. Engaging in both an ethnographic and historical investigation, I aim to examine the mechanisms and narratives ofincreasing inequality and gentrification in the area. This will entail a study of rural industrial change, rural welfare stateinteraction, and the impact of austerity policy and the Covid-19 pandemic in these communities, as well as ofheterogeneous experiences of time and conceptions of place in relation to inequality. I plan on developing a novel, indepth, historical and ethnographic examination of Brexit in British fishing communities, and building an understanding ofhow nostalgic sentiment might be actively produced for financial or political ends. I want to explore the capital-drivendevelopment of fishing villages into 'destinations of authenticity' and, through an engagement with local heritage groups,matters of local politics and identity.