Heritage-led development and historic churches: professional roles in the case of Hamra, Sweden

Purpose Departing from a study of a heritage-led economic development project of a Swedish historic church, the purpose of this paper is to explore and discuss how professional roles within the heritage field are negotiated through a development-centered heritage discourse, focusing on the implications for religious heritage sites. Design/methodology/approach A synchronic discourse analysis was conducted on a number of documents originating from the case study project, as well as five semi-structured interviews with key actors from the heritage field and the Church of Sweden. Findings The findings of the paper show that professional heritage discourses and practice limit and prevent nonstate heritage actors to engage in heritage-led development schemes of historic churches. Additionally, the professional roles and skills of nonheritage actors are perceived as ambiguous within the current governance system. Practical implications Examining emerging forms of management of religious heritage sites can provide inspiration and indicate possible conflicts that need to be addressed by heritage professionals in order to achieve successful management. Originality/value While studies of heritage-led economic development projects have previously focused on impact assessment and community engagement, this paper sheds light on how the discourses of these projects affect the conception of professional roles and practices.