Managing Cultural Heritage: An International Research Perspective - Tapa dura

'Professor Zan and his team of researchers have produced an instructive and discerning volume of international case studies on the management of heritage sites and institutions, including some "high profile" cases like Machu Picchu and Pompeii. The authors, through their "on the ground", micro-level analysis of management practices, reveal the limitations of "one model fits all" strategies that tend to dominate the field.' Christina Kreps, University of Denver, USA 'At a time when long-dominant heritage paradigms are being challenged and the organizational and financial stability of heritage organizations is under constant threat, Managing Cultural Heritage offers compelling evidence for the importance of management perspectives in today's Cultural Heritage field. I recommend it highly as an invaluable resource for heritage students, scholars, and working professionals.' Neil Asher Silberman, Coherit Associates LLC and University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA

Since the 1990s, heritage studies has emerged as a distinct academic field, and practices and rhetoric drawn from mainstream corporate management and strategic planning have become widespread. Based on extensive research, this book is an in-depth investigation of management practices rather than policies, based on a variety of case studies from around the world.

The authors take the issue of management in heritage seriously, but also take into account the role of other disciplines within heritage organizations. In particular, they focus on sustainability in terms of financial resources, human resources, knowledge management, and the relationship with the audience and communities of scholars. The book opens with a methodological introduction that discusses what it means to do research on management, and why international comparative research is essential. The body of the text engages issues of heritage and management through five distinct analytical lenses: management and the process of change, institutional settings and business models, change and planning, the Heritage Chain, and the space between policy and practice. Each of these five sections includes a chapter introducing the analytical framework and possible implications, followed by case histories from China, Italy, Malta, Turkey, and Peru. The book ends with a chapter of concluding reflections.