Jeremy Wells

Are we “ensnared in the system of heritage” because we don’t want to escape?

7 Comments / Preservation Doctrine, Preservation Policy Reform / By / December 3, 2022

Recently, I was reading through the papers from the 2013 Australia ICOMOS Conference in the journal, Historic Environment (vol. 27, no. 2, 2015). A couple of papers really struck my interest, especially the summary of this conference, published as “Does the Practice of Heritage as We Know It Have a Future?” by Sharon Sullivan. The …

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A thank you to the Horto team

1 Comment / Fulbright Research in Brazil / By / January 5, 2016

With the conclusion of the on-the-ground research for the Horto d’El Rey project, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank all of the current and former students of the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) who helped in the research, organization, and facilitation of the community workshop meetings in Olinda, Brazil. I could not have …

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Third Horto d’El Rey community workshop meeting on December 10

Leave a Comment / Fulbright Research in Brazil / By / December 15, 2015

Last Thursday evening was the third Horto d’El Rey community workshop meeting. Per the research plan, residents of all the neighborhoods surrounding the garden (Carmo, Amparo, Amaro Branco, Bonsucesso) were invited to this workshop along with heritage experts. The turnout wasn’t quite as good as the first workshop, but much better than the second; in …

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Seminar on Interventions in Cultural Property Affected by Legal Protection

Leave a Comment / Fulbright Research in Brazil / By / December 8, 2015

Earlier today, I attended a half-day seminar on “Interventions in Cultural Property Affected by Legal Protection,” which covered the legal framework for built heritage protection and the general practice of conservation in Brazil. What I found particularly useful was the presenters’ focus on the challenges that Brazil faces for the present and future. This is …

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Why don’t we care about the public’s understanding of authenticity?

2 Comments / Preservation Doctrine, Preservation Education, Preservation Policy Reform / By / December 3, 2022

The argument that historic preservation (or, if you’re outside of the United States, architectural conservation or built heritage conservation) is or is not a unique discipline still comes up on occasion in print and in conferences, which is surprising considering that the first degree programs (Columbia University or the University of York, depending on your …

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Second Horto d’El Rey community workshop meeting on November 28

Leave a Comment / Fulbright Research in Brazil / By / November 27, 2015

The second in a series of three Horto d’El Rey community workshops is planned for Saturday, November 28 at the G.R.E.S. Preto Velho in Olinda. This particular workshop is specifically for residents of the Amaro Branco, Amparo, and Bonsucesso neighborhoods, which are to the north of the garden. (The first workshop meeting was for residents …

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Is there a job market for built heritage conservation specialists with a social science background?

Leave a Comment / Preservation Education / By / December 3, 2022

One of the common perceptions of the social sciences—e.g., perspectives from anthropology, sociology, and psychology—is that that they are too academic, too erudite, and not sufficiently applied to have direct benefit for most people who don’t work in institutions of higher education. Of course, many of you who are reading this blog know that this …

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Are we ready for post-modern public and local history?

1 Comment / Fulbright Research in Brazil, Preservation Doctrine, Preservation Education / By / December 3, 2022

One of the researchers that is helping me with my work here in Brazil recently emailed me a course announcement from ANPUH (The National Association of History in Brazil). The course title is “Historical Research in Areas of Architecture and Heritage: Theory and Methods.” You can see the full advertisement for the course at the …

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How should heritage decisions be made?

Leave a Comment / Preservation Doctrine, Preservation Policy Reform / By / December 3, 2022

Recently, I came across a publication from a research project led by an interdisciplinary team of 14 people in the United Kingdom and hosted by the University of Leeds. They tried to answer the deceptively simple question, “How should heritage decisions be made?”, through a participatory research methodology that addressed a wide variety of heritage …

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