Exploring contemporary interpretations of heritage in Sardinia through conversations and workshops in Castello, Masullas and Sinnai

Abstract

This thesis develops a practice-informed approach to cultural heritage research through a hybrid, cross-disciplinary methodology grounded in the principles of public archaeology and Paulo Freire’s popular education. The project began with a personal curiosity about the remains of the demolished Palazzo San Placido in the neighbourhood of Castello, Cagliari (Sardinia), and evolved into a broader investigation of how individuals relate to what they consider heritage in their everyday environments. Fieldwork activities included semi-structured interviews and participatory workshops, which invited participants to reflect on what cultural heritage means to them. Insights from these activities later informed the creation of a piece of site-writing and site-marking, presented in the form of a walking tour that combined historical research with local stories, critical reflection, and personal memories. Findings show that participants tended to describe heritage as a passive inheritance tied to identity and the past. However, through the participatory workshops developed in this project, individuals could question assumptions about Sardinian heritage, connect memories, and critically engage with the past. By integrating public archaeology, popular education, participatory methods, and reflective practice, this thesis demonstrates the potential of practice-informed research in opening space for participatory knowledge production and fostering more plural, dynamic approaches to heritage interpretation. This thesis contributes to critical heritage studies in Italy and Sardinia by demonstrating how practice informed, participatory research, grounded in the principles of Freirean popular education and public archaeology, can create reflective spaces for engagement. Its originality lies in creating a methodology that positioned participants as active agents rather than passive respondents. In doing so, it bridged theory and practice to reimagine heritage in Sardinia as a dialogic process of negotiation, reflexivity, and everyday engagement.

Date of Award	Feb 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Brighton
Supervisor	Julia Winckler (Supervisor), Katy Beinart (Supervisor) & Dr Lesley Whitworth (Supervisor)