Diana Walters & Daniel Laven 
Heritage and Peacebuilding 

Case-studies of whether and how heritage can be used to bring about reconciliation.


This volume explores one of the most critical issues of our time: whether heritage can contribute to a more peaceful society and future. It reflects a core belief that heritage can provide solutions to reconciling peoples and demonstrates the amount of significant work being carried out internationally. Based round the core themes of new and emerging ideas around heritage and peace, heritage and peace-building in practice, and heritage, peace-building andsites, the twenty contributions seek to raise perceptions and understanding of heritage-based peace-building practices. Responding to the emphasis placed on conflict, war and memorialization, they reflect exploratory yet significant steps towards reclaiming the history, theory, and practice of peacebuilding as serious issues for heritage in contemporary society. The geographical scope of the book includes contributions from Europe, notably the Balkans and Northern Ireland, the Middle East, and Kenya.


Diana Walters is an International Heritage Consultant and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Exeter; Daniel Laven is Associate Professor of Human Geography, Department of Tourism Studies and Geography/European Tourism Research Institute (ETOUR), Mid Sweden University; Peter Davis is Emeritus Professor of Museology, Newcastle University. Contributors: Tatjana Cvjeticanin, Peter Davis, Jonathan Eaton, David Fleming, Seth Frankel, Timothy Gachanga, Alon Gelbman, Felicity Gibling, Will Glendinning, Elaine Heumann Gurian, Lejla Hadzic, Feras Hammami, Lotte Hughes, Bosse Lagerqvist, Daniel Laven, Bernadette Lynch, Elena Monicelli, Yongtanit Pimonsathean, Saleem H. Ali, Sultan Somjee, Peter Stone, Michèle Taylor, Peter van den Dungen, Alda Vezic, Jasper Visser, Diana Walters.

Table of Content

Introduction – Diana Walters and Daniel Laven and Peter Davis

The Heritage of Peace: the Importance of peace museums for the development of a culture of peace – Peter van den Dungen

A conversation with Seth Frankel: designing exhibitions for peace – Seth Frankel

Public spaces for strangers: the foundation for peacebuilding and implications for heritage institutions – Elaine Gurian

Can museums build peace? The role of museums in peacebuilding and internationalism – Diana Walters

Information and Communication Technologies for heritage and peacebuilding – Jasper Visser

A conversation with David Fleming: the role of National Museums Liverpool in social justice and peacebuilding – David Fleming

A conversation with Sultan Somjee: conflict and peacebuilding in Kenya – Sultan Somjee

Museum, peace and reconciliation: the impact of the Balkan Museum Network – Aida Vezic

Diversity, leadership and peacebuilding in museums in the Western Balkans – Felicity Gibling and Michèle Taylor

Disturbing the peace: museums, democracy and conflict avoidance – Bernadette Lynch

Transforming conflict through peace cultures – Timothy Ndaruga

Rethinking heritage from peace: reflections from the Palestinian-Israeli context – Feras Hammami and Daniel Laven

A conversation with Will Glendinning: diversity challenges in Northern Ireland – Will Glendinning

A conversation with Yongtanit Pimonsathean: managing conflict in Thailand – Yongtanit Pimonsathean

Challenging the roots of prejudice: the Monte Sole case study – Elena Monicelli

Mau Mau: the divisive heritage of liberation struggle in Kenya – Lotte Hughes

The heritage of geopolitical borders as peace tourism attractions – Alon Gelbman

Rebuilding the broken: regional restoration camps as a meeting platform in the Western Balkans – Lejla Hadzic

Rebuilding the broken: regional restoration camps as a meeting platform in the Western Balkans – Jonathan Eaton

Conservation or reconciliation? Industrial heritage practices at a turning point – Bosse Lagerqvist

A conversation with Saleem Ali: environmental challenges and conflict resolution – Saleem Ali

List of contributors

About the author

Peter Davis is Emeritus Professor of Museology in the School of Arts and Cultures at Newcastle University, UK. His research interests relate to the connections between place, nature, heritage, communities and sustainability.