Biography
Dr James Lesh is a historian and Lecturer in Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies. His research explores the theory and practice of heritage conservation in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. He has also published widely in Australian urban history. Before joining Deakin University, he had previous appointments at the University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, and King's College London.
James' recent book Values in Cities: Urban Heritage in Twentieth-Century Australia synthesises the history of the Australian heritage movement and the emergence of a professional field and academic discipline for urban and cultural heritage. He also co-edited the book collection People-Centred Methodologies for Heritage Conservation: Exploring Emotional Attachments to Historic Urban Places. His research appears in leading academic journals and book collections. He is a regular contributor to public and industry debates on heritage conservation.
Read more on James's profileUnits taught
- AIM703 – Heritage Practice: Conservation and Managing Change
- AIM705 – Heritage Practice: Fundamentals
- AIM719 – Cultural Heritage And Museum Practice
Professional activities
- Advocacy Advisory Committee, National Trust of Australia (Victoria)
- Australian Representative, Commonwealth Heritage Forum
- Co-Founder, Citizens for Melbourne
- Provenance (Public Record Office of Victoria Journal): Editorial Board
Publications
J Lesh, K Myers
(2022), Vol. 37, pp. 217-242, Planning Perspectives, London, England, C1
Exploring emotional attachments to historic places: Bridging concept, practice and method
Rebecca Madgin, James Lesh
(2021), pp. 1-15, People-centred methodologies for heritage conservation : exploring emotional attachments to historic urban places, London, Eng., B1
Melbourne's Federation Square and its Heritage Discontents, 1994-2002
James Lesh
(2021), Vol. 31, pp. 109-138, Fabrications, Abingdon, Eng., C1
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy and the Limits of Values-Based Conservation
K Myers, J Lesh
(2021), Vol. 14, pp. 267-284, Heritage and Society, London, Eng., C1
Rebecca Madgin, James Lesh
(2021), London, Eng., A7
James Lesh, Cameron Logan
(2020), pp. 87-101, Understanding Urbanism, Berlin, Germany, B1
Place and heritage conservation
James Lesh
(2020), pp. 431-441, The Routledge handbook of place, Abingdon, Eng., B1
Richmond and 18 Berry Street Revisited
James Lesh, David Nichols
(2020), pp. 157-173, Urban Australia and post-punk : exploring dogs in space, Singapore, B1
J Lesh
(2019), Vol. 45, pp. 126-149, Journal of Urban History, London, England, C1
The National Estate (and the city), 1969-75: a significant Australian heritage phenomenon
J Lesh
(2019), Vol. 25, pp. 113-127, International Journal of Heritage Studies, London, England, C1
Social value and the conservation of urban heritage places in Australia
James Lesh
(2019), Vol. 31, pp. 42-62, Historic Environment, Carlton, Vic., C1
Cremorne Gardens, Gold-rush Melbourne, and the Victorian-era Pleasure Garden, 1853-63
James Lesh
(2019), Vol. 90, pp. 219-252, Victorian Historical Journal, Melbourne, Vic., C1
TWENTIETH-CENTURY JEWISH LGBTQ LONDON and the Rainbow Jews Heritage Project
James Lesh
(2018), Vol. 8, pp. 206-225, CHANGE OVER TIME-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSERVATION AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT, C1
The Ruins Caused a Catch in the Throat as Memories Came Flooding In': Melbourne's Bread and Cheese Club and Postwar Literary Urban Conservationism
James Lesh, David Nichols
(2018), pp. 266-274, APO 2018: Proceedings of the Australasian Urban History/Planning History Conference, Melbourne, Vic., E1
Lost [in] Arcadia: Regenerating Melbourne's nineteenth-century shopping arcades since the 1950s
James Lesh, Nicole Davis
(2018), pp. 108-117, APO 2018: Proceedings of the Australasian Urban History/Planning History Conference, Melbourne, Vic, E1
James Lesh
(2017), Vol. 12, pp. 120-133, International Journal of Regional and Local History, Abingdon, Eng., C1
Why not call ourselves Mutilated Melbourne?' A history of urban heritage at the Rialto Towers
James Lesh
(2016), Vol. 28, pp. 22-35, Historic Environment, Carlton, Vic., C1
Locating the national in the urban: heritage and scale in the twentieth-century Australian City
James Lesh
(2016), pp. 239-249, Proceedings of the 13th Australasian Urban History Planning History Conference, Gold Coast, Qld., E1
Funded Projects at Deakin
Other Public Sector Funding
Melbourne's Legacies of Slavery and Place Name ''Moreland''
Dr James Lesh
Moreland City Council
- 2022: $10,000
Supervisions
No completed student supervisions to report