HERITAGE FUTURES

Dr Mary-Cate Garden

Lecturer

T: +44 (0) 141 331 8595
E: m.garden@gcal.ac.uk

Mary-Cate is Lecturer in Heritage Studies, having joined Heritage Futures at its launch in 2003. She is Associate Director for Local/Community History, and Programme Leader for the MSc Cultural Heritage Studies. Mary-Cate joined Heritage>Futures from the Department of Archaeology, Cambridge University where she completed her PhD entitled, 'The Heritagescape. Exploring the Phenomenon of the Heritage Site' (2004). Previously a staff archaeologist at Colonial Williamsburg, she has worked for many years in museums and government agencies specializing in public archaeology and the exploration of landscapes. She also holds degrees in anthropology from the University of Toronto (BA), the College of William and Mary in Virginia (MA specializing in historical archaeology) and an MPhil in Heritage Studies (Cambridge).

Research Interests

My major research interest is on landscapes and the perception of past places and spaces from a presentist perspective. In particular my work with heritage sites has explored the idea of heritage sites (including museums, ancient monuments or places ‘of the past’ as landscapes. My other research focuses on the relationship between history and heritage with a particular focus on the exploration of heritage as a social construct. I am most interested in the interface between history, heritage and archaeology as specific ways of interpreting the past and, in turn, how each is used and understood both by individuals and by groups. Specifically, I am interested exploring the process whereby elements of history and ‘the past’ are selected out and/ or celebrated by society in both tangible and intangible ways.

Landscape Perception Study, Isle of Lismore (With M.Fitzjohn, University of Liverpool and S. Stoddart, Cambridge University)
As part of a multi-disciplinary project, the landscape perception study. This aspect involved interviewing island residents in order to gain a sense of local perceptions of the past and, particularly, of the past landscape. Combined with the results from the survey and the Cambridge work, this project will also contribute to developing a greater understanding of the role and perceptions of local history at a community level.

Survey of Local History Societies
This national survey, conducted throughout Scotland, has a dual role: (1) as a means to assess and evaluate needs of local history groups and (2) a longer-term project which will examine the perceptions of local history. Results from the survey are expected to contribute significantly to our understanding of how individuals use and interpret history in Scotland.

Changing Perceptions of Heritage Sites (With F. McLean)
Looking at two iconic Scottish battlefields: Culloden and Bannockburn, this study is exploring the roles that these sites occupy for visitors, staff and others who interact with these spaces. Focusing on the changes that both sites are currently undergoing, this project will explore the role(s) these sites have in contributing to a national identity.

Publications

Updated: 06/10/2008 | Site editor | Legal