Fact, Fiction and Nostalgia: An Assessment of Heritage Interpretation at Living Museums

Abstract

This paper aims to explore and discuss the role ofnostalgia (a concept that is inherently grounded within apsychological framework) in heritage interpretation fromboth provider and consumer perspectives. Whilst manycultural practitioners recognise the relationship betweensentimentality and authenticity, particularly within a folkheritagecontext, few have sought to examine the effectthis has on the visitor experience. This paper questionsvisitors’ ability to objectively assess objects andexperiences at heritage sites, and the role of practitionersin presenting often blurred views of social history that maysometimes negate historical fact. Drawing on case studyresearch at two UK living museums, Blists Hill VictorianTown in Shropshire, England, and the Big Pit: NationalCoal Museum in Wales, notions of reminiscence,authenticity, myth and intangibility are considered withinthe framework of the interpretive experience. Findingssuggest that the visitor experience is inherentlysubjective, highly individual and that the concept ofintangibility is integral to an understanding of thenostalgia-authenticity debate.