Speaker
Description
Across Europe, inner peripheries (ESPON, 2017) are increasingly struggling with marginalization shaped by spatial, socio-economic, political, and symbolic dynamics (Schmidt, 1998; Kühn, 2015; Rodriguez-Pose, 2018). From a cultural perspective, marginalization manifests itself as geographical isolation, characterized by a limited access to cultural resources, centers, and infrastructure, such as museums, theatres, and universities. This isolation reinforces perceptions of exclusion, while socio-economic trends, such as the emigration of the youngest and highly educated population, further deprive these regions of innovation and creativity. Moreover, the disconnection from local to global cultural networks, the limited influence on policy-making processes and the persisting urban-centered development models further exacerbates the sense of subalternity of communities living in inner peripheries. As a result, marginal territories are perceived as "places of elsewhere" (Membretti et al., 2022), distant from the values and dynamics of cultural production. This symbolic marginalization fosters a negative self-image within communities, reinforcing narratives of cultural subalternity and isolation.
Despite these challenges, cultural heritage offers an important transformative potential for inner peripheries, acting both as a resource and as a catalyst for change and community empowerment (Duxbury, 2020).
According to the Faro Convention (2005), heritage goes beyond physical artefacts to encompass values, practices and meanings that define collective identities, and it is intrinsically linked to community recognition. The latter is crucial, in fact, to preserve and activate heritage as a resource.
This perspective is particularly relevant in inner peripheries, where cultural subalternity often arises from a lack of both internal and external recognition (Schmidt, 1998). Heritage can serve here as a powerful counter-narrative. Bottom-up approaches to the enhancement of cultural heritage can reverse the perceptions of marginality, fostering new visions and opportunities for local development.
Based on the analysis of the Tammaro-Titerno case-study, in the Campania region, which is part of Italy’s "inner areas" (Barca et al., 2014), this paper explores potential and limitations of cultural practices in strengthening relations between heritage and community. In particular, the first outcomes of a participatory mapping process in a small town of the Tammaro-Titerno area will be discussed. The process highlights the deep historical stratification and the interplay between human practices and physical environment that contributed to shape the unique territorial identity. The community mapping process and the numerous bottom-up initiatives currently underway in the Tammaro-Titerno area allow us illustrating how a shift from subalternity to agency can be achieved through participatory processes and place-based cultural practices.
References
Barca, F., Casavola, P., & Lucatelli, S. (2014). Strategia nazionale per le aree interne: definizione, obiettivi, strumenti e governance [National strategy for inner areas: definition, objectives, tools and governance].
Duxbury, N. (2020). Cultural and creative work in rural and remote areas: an emerging international conversation. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 27(6), 753-767. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2020.1837788
ESPON (2017). Profecy - Processes, features and cycles of Inner Peripheries in Europe. Applied research, final report. Retrieved from https://www.espon.eu/sites/default/files/attachments/D5%20Final%20Report%20PROFECY.pdf
Kühn, M. (2015). Peripheralization: Theoretical Concepts Explaining Socio-Spatial Inequalities. European Planning Studies, 23 (2), 367-378. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2013.862518
Membretti, A., & Dax, T., & Machold, I. (2022). Reframing remote places and remoteness as a collective resource and value for Europe. MATILDE Manifesto Thesis 1. 10.4324/9781003260486-4.
Rodríguez-Pose, A. (2018). The revenge of the places that don’t matter (and what to do about it). Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 11(1), 189-209.
Schmidt, M. (1998). An integrated systemic approach to marginal regions: from definition to development policies. In H. Jussila, W. Leimgruber, & R. Majoral (Eds.), Perceptions of Marginality. Routledge, 59-84.
| Keywords | inner peripheries, cultural marginality, cultural heritage, heritage communities |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
