Seeking a Future for the Past: Space, Power, and Heritage in a Chinese City examines the complexities and changing sociopolitical dynamics of urban renewal in contemporary China. Drawing on ten years ...of ethnographic fieldwork in the northeastern Chinese city of Qingdao, the book tells the story of the slow, fragmented, and contentious transformation of Dabaodao—an area in the city’s former colonial center—from a place of common homes occupied by the urban poor into a showcase of architectural heritage and site for tourism and consumption. The ethnography provides a nuanced account of the diverse experiences and views of a range of groups involved in shaping, and being shaped, by the urban renewal process—local residents, migrant workers, preservationists, planners, and government officials—foregrounding the voices and experiences of marginal groups, such as migrants in the city. Unpacking structural reasons for urban developmental impasses, it paints a nuanced local picture of urban governance and political practice in contemporary urban China. Seeking a Future for the Past also weighs the positives and negatives of heritage preservation and scrutinizes the meanings and effects of “preservation” on diverse social actors. By zeroing in on the seemingly contradictory yet coexisting processes of urban stagnation and urban destruction, the book reveals the multifaceted challenges that China faces in reforming its urbanization practices and, ultimately, in managing its urban future.
This paper considers a problematic dynamic in the protection of natural World Heritage properties for sites that also possess significant cultural assets, but that fall short of the World Heritage ...designation 'outstanding universal value' standard for cultural significance. The destruction of cultural heritage places in natural settings is a global concern and we use an Australian case study to illustrate the argument that cultural assets located within natural properties should be given an allied protection status. We argue that protection problems arise, represented by a nature/culture binary trope, despite significant progress in using more holistic approaches, as exemplified by cultural landscapes. To demonstrate our argument, we consider controversy surrounding a development proposal within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (GBMWHA), located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. We find that a development proposal to raise a storage dam wall triggers significant problems for protecting both natural and cultural heritage features across the GBMWHA landscape and, in this context, we recommend a reconsideration of the rigid natural/cultural heritage binary of World Heritage classifications.
Cultural Heritage (CH) is recognised as being of historical, social, and anthropological value and is considered as an enabler of sustainable development. As a result, it is included in the United ...Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11 and 8. SDG 11.4 emphasises the protection and safeguarding of heritage, and SDG 8.9 aims to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products. This paper briefly reviews the geoinformatics technologies of photogrammetry, remote sensing, and spatial information science and their application to CH. Detailed aspects of CH-related SDGs, comprising protection and safeguarding, as well as the promotion of sustainable tourism are outlined. Contributions of geoinformatics technologies to each of these aspects are then identified and analysed. Case studies in both developing and developed countries, supported by funding directed at the UN SDGs, are presented to illustrate the challenges and opportunities of geoinformatics to enhance CH protection and to promote sustainable tourism. The potential and impact of geoinformatics for the measurement of official SDG indicators, as well as UNESCO’s Culture for Development Indicators, are discussed. Based on analysis of the review and the presented case studies, it is concluded that the contribution of geoinformatics to the achievement of CH SDGs is necessary, significant and evident. Moreover, following the UNESCO initiative to introduce CH into the sustainable development agenda and related ICOMOS action plan, the concept of Sustainable Cultural Heritage is defined, reflecting the significance of CH to the United Nations’ ambition to “transform our world”.
In the last decade, the dramatic developments in digitalisation have reached cultural heritage. Digital archiving and reconstruction, virtual reality, and 3D laser scanning, modelling and printing, ...are influencing the way we consume, manage, and preserve it. As part of the latter, detailed virtual records of endangered urban cultural heritage, through digital archiving, capturing, and reconstruction techniques, can help preserve its memories and lengthen its life; particularly, once decision-makers resolve to end its tangibility. However, the application of digitalisation to cultural heritage is not always easy, faced with issues such as cost, lack of sources and skills, sustainability, and intellectual property limitations. This paper illustrates the challenges encountered by land-deprived and fast-growing Southeast Asian cities in amalgamating urban cultural heritage preservation with pressing development needs. Ultimately, it discusses the introduction of digitalisation in this debate by examining the broader consequences of the association.
On 26th June 2023, Olaia Fontal granted us this interview during a virtual conversation. In this interview, Olaia shared her journey in the field of heritage education and her interpretation of this ...concept. She also presented the evolution of The Spanish Heritage Education Observatory (SHEO) and of The International Network on Heritage Education (INHE), from their inception to the present day. Furthermore, she focused on the notion of heritage education within formal, non-formal, and informal settings, as well as the connections she has forged with museums as research components. Her role as a university lecturer and the associations she establishes between heritage education and the training of primary school teachers were also discussed. Lastly, Olaia outlined her vision for the future of heritage education in Spain.
Managing cultural heritage is difficult, even when presented with many opportunities. The management of underwater cultural heritage (UCH) expands these challenges, as issues such as mapping, ...monitoring, access, presentation, and ownership can become more complex. This article reviews the existing literature on theoretical research and various case studies in order to establish common themes on the management of UCH.
Initially, a keyword search was carried out in two of the most extensive scientific databases. Publications were reviewed according to several criteria. Various data have been obtained, such as the change in the number of publications over the years, which journals are more interested in the subject, which topics are at the forefront, which places are preferred for case studies, and who are more likely to conduct research. The results show that the studies on the management of UCH mainly focus on evaluating the current management examples and their issues, policy development, legislation, and documentation of the sites. The cultural heritage in the case studies varies from archaeological and architectural remains to shipwrecks and, sometimes, movable objects, despite the emphasis on in-situ built heritage in the search criteria. Meanwhile, the researchers are primarily from universities in Western countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Additionally, many publications evaluate national policies and emphasize the importance of public participation, interpretation, and access. While still not much compared to land heritage, the number of studies has increased over the years. As the results of the review are discussed, suggestions are offered for possible future publications.
•This is a literature review on the management of underwater cultural heritage.•The study presents the common trends, needs and contemporary approaches.•Methodology involves advanced searching of keywords to gather relevant publications.•Publications mainly focus on policy development, documentation, and evaluation of existing practices.•Case studies in these papers show diversity and the researchers are primarily from universities in Western countries.
This open access book focuses on the destruction of our Ocean Heritage from bottom trawling. It brings together the natural and cultural sides of the marine environment to further our understanding ...of the importance of this heritage, how it is threatened by activities such as bottom trawling, and provides recommendations, such as a moratorium in particularly vulnerable areas that are currently unprotected. It is a unique publication in integrating cultural heritage into a discussion where the primary focus has been the destruction of natural heritage The book is divided into three sections that discuss, respectively, the international legal context, history and ecological impact of bottom trawling, case studies highlighting the impact of these destructive activities on underwater cultural heritage, and finally recommended future steps and how to use the damage presented here to halt future devastation. This book is a valuable tool for resource managers and representatives of governments and international organizations in their efforts to establish the moratoria called for. This book is also of interest to educators, archaeologists and practitioners working in the field of underwater cultural heritage. This is an open access book.
Most people view cultural heritage sites as static places, frozen in time. In Cultural Landscapes of India , Amita Sinha subverts the idea of heritage as static and examines the ways that landscapes ...influence culture and that culture influences landscapes. The book centers around imagining, enacting, and reclaiming landscapes as subjects and settings of living cultural heritage. Drawing on case studies from different regions of India, Sinha offers new interpretations of links between land and culture using different ways of seeing—transcendental, romantic, and utilitarian. The idea of cultural landscape can be seen in ancient practices such as circumambulation and immersion in bodies of water that sustain engagement with natural elements. Pilgrim towns, medieval forts, religious sites, and contemporary memorial parks are sites of memory where myth and history converge. Engaging with these spaces allows us to reconstruct collective memory and reclaim not only historic landscapes, but ways of seeing, making, and remembering. Cultural Landscapes of India makes the case for reclaiming iconic landscapes and rethinking conventional approaches to conservation that take into consideration performative landscape as heritage.
This open access book explores El Hierro Island, which is geologically the youngest of the Canary Islands (Spain). Having registered its latest volcanic eruption in 2011-2012, it is an oceanic ...subtropical island with low population pressure and a largely unchanged natural landscape. Accordingly, a great geodiversity of volcanic morphologies and erosion processes has been preserved. In addition, half of the land is protected as a Biosphere Reserve and as a UNESCO Global Geopark, and the island is pursuing energy self-sufficiency. Local tourism is a sustainable activity, as the main attractions are either diving or hiking through the island’s various volcanic landscapes. Covering these and other aspects, and using accessible language, the book will appeal to scientists specialized in geotourism, active leisure entrepreneurs, and members of the general public interested in volcanic geoheritage and geotourism.
Inconvenient Heritage Dearborn, Lynne M.; Stallmeyer, John C.
2010, 20160916, 2016-09-16, 2016-06-09, 20100101, Letnik:
3
eBook
The major international recognition of a World Heritage Site designation can bring important preservation efforts and a wealth of tourist dollars to an impoverished area-but it can also have ...destructive side effects. In a revealing study with lessons for tourism and preservation projects around the world, this book examines the redevelopment and packaging of Luang Prabang, Laos, as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites that "belong to all peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located." It tells the story of how the world's most prestigious preservation initiative led to a management plan designed to attract tourists and global capital, which in turn developed the most "appealing" parts of the city while destroying or neglecting other areas. This book makes a valuable contribution to tourism and heritage studies and international development.
PDF
