Conflicting Place-based Pasts: Reconciling Institutional and Community Photographic Heritage in the Midlands

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This project investigates how historical, archival, and domestic photographs can assist in aligning institutional approaches to Midlands regional heritage with the values of the local communities they are meant to serve. Indeed, this research addresses the gap between grassroots and institutional approaches to place-based heritage, through the creation of knowledge geared towards reconciling the current conflict of interest between concepts of local pasts held by Midlands heritage institutions, and by local communities. Contrary to other regions in Britain, the Midlands is composed of an amalgamation of local pasts, memories, and cultures (Truslove 2014). Yet, museums and archives in the area often focus on their city's dominant pre-modern or industrial heritage. Thus, they frequently neglect or trivialise the historical experiences of certain marginalised white and non-white social groups, and thereby obscure their contribution to modern society, and further their political and socio-economic marginalisation (Smith 2006).