“A nation built on coal”: transcalar memory work at the Big Pit

This study reveals how the discourses of Welshness and coal heritage at Big Pit, part of the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape UNESCO World Heritage Site, have evolved alongside Wales' devolution from UK to Welsh Government control. Using a mixed methodology, researchers found that memory work at this site reflects complex, transcalar relationships involving tourism, heritage, and geopolitics, influenced by migration narratives, industrialization, and the romanticization of labor. These dynamics are shaped by Big Pit's position within multiple scales—including a UK National Park and the European Route of Industrial Heritage—and highlight how such sites navigate national identities and community narratives in response to shifting power structures.

Rhodes II, M. A., & Price, W. R. (2023). “A nation built on coal”: transcalar memory work at the Big Pit. Tourism Geographies, 26(5), 755–777. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2023.2253793