Introduction : a visual heritage

The 'visual' has long played a crucial and formative role in structuring the experiences, associations, expectations and understandings of heritage. Images are used to convey meaning within a range of practices, including tourism, identity construction, the popularisation of the past through a variety of media, and the memorialisation of events and experiences. However, despite the fact that 'the visual' plays such a central role in these contexts, it has largely been neglected in heritage literature. This edited collection is the first of its kind explicitly to explore the production, use and consumption of visual imagery as an integral part of heritage within its broader social and political context. Drawing on case studies from England, Hong Kong, Greece, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Scotland, Israel, America, the Caribbean it provides a multidisciplinary analysis of heritage representations by weaving together complex understandings and experiences of 'the visual' from a wide range of disciplines including heritage studies, sociology and cultural studies perspectives. In doing so, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the theoretical and methodological tools necessary for understanding visual imagery within its cultural context. The volume is organised around four central themes: Relocating the Visual in theoretical terms; Identity and Popular Memory; Visual Culture and Heritage Tourism; and, the Construction of Place. Each theme is explored from a range of disciplines, using case-studies that provide unique perspectives on the 'visual' in theory and in context.