Paper short abstract:

How does an archaeologist working within heritage management best represent the general public? It may be argued that as a professional expert the archaeologist has a particular responsibility to stand up for other values than those that are spontaneously embraced by various societal groups.

Paper long abstract:

The need for dialogue between heritage management and various societal groups is now widely recognized. This is a great improvement which has changed the role of the professional expert. It is no longer sufficient to just have expert knowledge within your scholarly field; you must also be able to conduct a two-way communication with people outside that field who have other interests and priorities. How the heritage management should respond to these different views is however a delicate matter. It is not self-evident that the management best represents the public interest by making the public's opinion their own. It may, on the contrary, be argued that the professional expert has a particular responsibility to stand up for other values than those that are spontaneously embraced by the public.