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Participatory Governance of Cultural Heritage

“This ‘open method of coordination’ (OMC) report seeks to move the concept of the participatory governance of cultural heritage from simply an abstract notion to concrete action, in other words how participation can be put to practical use in the ordinary and everyday governance of cultural heritage. The guiding principle behind the publication of a handbook was to make it easier for cultural heritage institutions and professionals to recognise that participatory governance of cultural heritage is important, and to feel familiar with how and when to use it in the best possible way.

As a handbook, this document is designed first and foremost to provide practical advice for cultural heritage professionals and institutions to be able to use and benefit from. It focuses on providing step-by-step advice on how to create the necessary preconditions for the participatory governance of cultural heritage, support the process and ensure its sustainability. In addition, the working group also believed that it was important for the handbook to be of use to politicians and policy-makers.” (p.7)