Heritage and Social Class

This study highlights the cultural and social significance of heritage sites, particularly those memorializing working-class lives and occupations. It reveals how these sites, such as Ironbridge Gorge, serve as poignant reminders of a lost era, evoking a sense of loss and powerlessness associated with the decline of traditional industrial sectors like coal mining. The research approach involves qualitative analysis, focusing on the narrative of an 'ordinary' miner, Bryn Rees, whose story encapsulates the collective strength and eventual demise of the UK's coal industry. This study underscores the role of heritage sites in preserving and interpreting the cultural image of the working class amidst rapid socio-economic transformations.

Dicks, B. (2015). Heritage and Social Class. The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Heritage Research, 366–381. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137293565_23