Tecirli, Beliz Burcu; (2017) The role of meaningful and effective stakeholder engagement in contributing to the sustainability of heritage sites and institutions: case studies from Çatalhöyük, Turkey, and the King Abdulaziz Center. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

Abstract

Cultural heritage institutions face challenges related to long-term sustainability. Efforts to remain relevant, attract support, and maintain an appropriate public profile may come at the expense of mission-critical activities such as exploration, preservation, documentation, interpretation, or display of resources. Failure to ensure long-term viability threatens on-going activities if not the very existence of the institution, while distraction from the core mission can result in marginalization or irrelevance. However, there are potentially significant benefits from effective stakeholder engagement. This thesis analyses meaningful and effective stakeholder engagement and its role in the sustainability of cultural heritage, and poses the following question: What is the role of meaningful and effective stakeholder engagement in contributing to the sustainability of heritage sites and centres? The study draws upon two case studies: Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic archaeological site in Turkey; and the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, a new multicomponent arts, knowledge and cultural facility in Saudi Arabia. The research data reveal they share many challenges and opportunities related to stakeholder engagement and overall sustainability. The case study methodology addresses the complex issues posed by the research question, while field research includes semi-structured participant interviews and non-intrusive participant observation. This field research is set within a wider context complemented through a study of existing literature. The thesis also posits a new model of stakeholder engagement. Its first four elements are diagnostic: defining the mission, mapping stakeholders, delineating regulatory constraints and channels, and considering the socio-economic ecosystem. The second set of four elements is prescriptive, framing a stakeholder engagement strategy and forming the foundation for engagement activities. The new model ensures effective and sustainable engagement whereby conversations with stakeholders are fully informed by a wider range of considerations, including the social, economic, regulatory, environmental and spatial ecosystem, and the framework of power relationships that govern that ecosystem. It is hoped this Four Plus Four Model could be implemented elsewhere, pressure tested with on-the-ground findings, and used as the basis for comparative studies and the sharing of best practices globally.

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