IMC 2023: Sessions
Session 1602: Castle Spaces, IV: The 'Authentic' Castle Experience - Challenging Ideas of Authenticity Regarding Castles as Heritage Spaces in Ireland and Britain, A Round Table Discussion
Thursday 6 July 2023, 11.15-12.45
| Sponsor: | Canterbury Christ Church University |
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| Organiser: | Alison Norton, Department of History University of Exeter |
| Moderator/Chair: | Leonie V. Hicks, Department of History and American Studies, Canterbury Christ Church University |
| Abstract | Increasingly, perceptions of castles for present-day audiences are influenced by popular culture and its projection of these structures as being synonymous with ideas of fantasy, romanticism, and war. These ideas encourage visitors to castles hoping they will get an authentic experience of chivalric knights or gruesome battles. As scholars, we understand castles are individualistic and have their unique history. Yet, how does one demonstrate this when 'authenticity' is used as a marketing technique? This round table discussion will discuss the challenges heritage professionals face when attempting to balance what is authentic and what is perceived as authentic in castles found in Ireland and Britain. Participants include Morn D. T. Capper (University of Chester), Catriona Cooper (Canterbury Christ Church University), Callum Watson (National Trust for Scotland, Edinburgh), Katherine Weikert (University of Winchester), and William Wyeth (English Heritage, York). |