Ethnic Minority Heritage Values and U.S. Historic Preservation Significance Policy

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MAHPthesis_Holland-Moore.pdf (2.49 MB)

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http://hdl.handle.net/11603/3817

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Goucher College MA in Historic Preservation

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Date

2016

Type of Work

theses
Text

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MA in Historic Preservation

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Collection may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. To obtain information or permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Goucher Special Collections & Archives at 410-337-6347 or email archives@goucher.edu.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States

Subjects

Significance
Diversity
Inclusion
Ethnic Minority
National Register of Historic Places
National Historic Preservation Act
Public Policy
Implicit Bias
Cultural Mapping
Intangible Heritage
Integrity
Traditional Cultural Places
Ethnography
Underrepresented Group
Demographic Shift
Historic Preservation
Architecture
Historic preservation -- Theses

Abstract

The reasons for the preservation of historic properties related to ethnic minority groups have been much discussed in the historic preservation field. However, there are factors that are still of concern as many of these properties are often overlooked. This merits a discussion of what constitutes importance to an underrepresented group that falls outside of traditional historic preservation policy and processes in terms of assessing and evaluating their significance. United States historic preservation public policies and processes concerning historic significance should reflect the changing attitudes and shifts in thinking about heritage and history, as well as the dynamic nature of communities themselves. The year 2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act. As historic preservation goes forward into the next fifty years, the United States will become a different nation in composition, but is still one nation by acknowledging that all citizens have a contribution to make to its collective historic narrative. Ethnic minority groups are now demanding a more flexible, inclusive form of historic preservation; one that is not as primarily focused on architecture or integrity, but focused on what is valued and culturally significant to the communities in which those historic properties are located. The National Register of Historic Places itself is flexible and accommodating in what properties may be listed, but more creative approaches, interpretations, and uses of the criteria, guidance, and processes—including the incorporation of more ethnographic techniques—have become necessary. As the United States prepares for a majority-minority shift in 2050, who decides what is significant or relevant—historic preservation practitioners or ethnic minority communities themselves? By actively implementing steps to become more truly inclusive, we can help to assure that the significance of historic properties and valued places of meaning to all of its citizens will be effectively considered.