Sociological aspects of built heritage studies and revitalisation

Abstract

© 2016 Institut za društvena istraživanja u Zagrebu - Institute for Social Research in Zagreb Sva prava pridržana - All rights reserved. The paper highlights the sociological perspective in the study of built heritage and the pos­sibilities arising from the inclusion of this topic in sociology. Three key sociological problems are identified: 1) social production of built heritage 2) social functions of the heritage and 3) relationships between different actors within the policies of its protection and revitalization. These problems are situated in a broader theoretical framework using the ideas of Henri Lefebvre (1990) and Michel Bassand (2001) and are illustrated by selected results of the socio­logical study conducted for the purposes of revitalization of the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad. The conclusion is that the Petrovaradin Fortress heritage is produced, reproduced and transformed in a variety of social practices which are not recognised in planning processes. There is no strategy for the management of the fortress and its functions and potentials are not fully realized. We recognize tensions between everyday, use value of the fortress and its sur­rounding area by the local population and new economic functions based on consumption. These processes are situated in the context of general transformation of the semi-peripheral town of Novi Sad and its space, including the spaces of built heritage.