Awestruck

UNESCO World Heritage status, while enhancing local school curriculums and fostering environmental connections, can inadvertently restrict the multivocality essential for effective place-based learning. The Rjukan-Notodden Industrial Heritage Site serves as a case study revealing this paradox: global recognition enriches learning but may suppress diverse narratives, reducing its educational potential. The research frames 'place' as a dynamic, multifaceted construct shaped by social relations and narratives, identifying World Heritage Sites as 'heterotopias' and 'glocal' phenomena that offer unique learning opportunities while risking narrative dominance. To counteract this, the study advocates for 'contact zones'—spaces where diverse narratives converge—to promote critical thinking and reflexivity in place-based learning. This approach requires an open, contestatory mindset to fully harness the educational benefits of such sites.

Kennedy, A. L., & Johannessen, S. F. (2025). Awestruck. Multivocality in World Heritage, 50–64. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003496786-4