In a time of global polarisation, rising nationalism and deepening cultural divides, cities such as Leicester offer a counter-narrative. It is through the lens of heritage that we can begin to make sense of the local and global dynamics of contemporary societies.
Heritage lives in streets where hundreds of languages are spoken; in Jamaican sound systems and Somali cafes; in half-century-old festivities, alongside our Roman history. As the UK’s first plural city, with no ethnic group in the majority, Leicester – and Leicestershire – provides a unique landscape to reimagine how we approach heritage.
While Toronto, Amsterdam and Auckland are also navigating superdiversity, Leicestershire’s experience offers lessons with global resonance. The region offers an opportunity for critical research to understand how diverse communities can build reciprocal relationships, and to explore how inclusive cultural practice can support social cohesion, resilience and belonging.
Such a complex social fabric demands more than multiculturalism or tokenistic representation. It requires power sharing, co-curation and a commitment to uncovering underrepresented stories – from diasporic histories and working-class narratives, to women’s experiences and intergenerational voices. Inclusive heritage must be as layered and interconnected as the communities who live it, which means building long-term relationships with communities as co-authors of the stories we share.
Leicestershire offers a working model of how to do things differently – not perfectly, but with honesty, ambition and care. This work is at the heart of a new PhD scholarship that Inspirate, Charnwood Arts, De Montfort University and Loughborough University are launching, funded by the Collaboratory Research Hub. The studentship will examine how communities and policymakers can shape the narratives we create, preserve and pass on. It builds on the recognition that heritage can be a powerful tool for identity, healing and cohesion – or a space of exclusion and division, if not handled responsibly.
The research will contribute to the academic field of memory and heritage studies, and also to rethinking place, identity and culture in a postcolonial, post-Brexit Britain. As more UK cities and counties begin to resemble Leicester and Leicestershire demographically, the need for inclusive, community-led heritage is ever more urgent.
Leicestershire offers a glimpse of what the future of the UK might look like: a society where multiple histories co-exist, interact and evolve together. It invites us to think beyond the binary of inclusion versus exclusion, and to embrace an intersectional approach to heritage that reflects the realities of our contemporary world.
Jiten Anand is the executive director of Inspirate, a social enterprise set up in 2011 to connect communities through cultural events, exhibitions and educational programmes
