The Biography of Borderlands: Old Oswestry Hillfort and Modern Heritage Debates
Abstract
Responding to the recently published edited collection exploring the hillfort and landscape context of Old Oswestry (Shropshire, England) by heritage professionals connected to the Hands off Old Oswestry Hillfort heritage protection campaign (Malim and Nash 2020), this chapter reviews and reflects on the significance of the overall ‘life-history’ or ‘biography’ of Old Oswestry hillfort and its immediate environs to the present-day emotive and mnemonic significance of the monument. It argues that this biographical dimension fosters the hillfort as a locus of borderland identity, which explains the affinities of local inhabitants to Old Oswestry and frames the ongoing debates and conflicts regarding its significance and setting. Giving greater attention to researching and communicating this biography promises to inform and foster future public engagement and community action.Citation
McMillan-Sloan, R., & Williams, H. (2020). The biography of borderlands: Old Oswestry hillfort and modern heritage debates. In K. Gleave, H. Williams & P. Clarke (Eds.). Public archaeologies of frontiers and borderlands (pp. 147–156). Archaeopress.Publisher
ArchaeopressAdditional Links
https://www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress/Products/9781789698015Type
Book chapterISBN
9781789698022Collections
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/