Managing Cultural Heritage in China: A View from the Outside

2012 ◽  
Vol 210 ◽  
pp. 456-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Zan ◽  
Sara Bonini Baraldi

AbstractThis article investigates change processes regarding the managerial aspects of organizing cultural heritage activities in China. The focus is not on the historical and artistic meanings of archaeological discoveries in themselves; nor on the technical, scientific and methodological repercussions of conservation and restoration; nor on the evolution of museology per se. Rather, the core of the analysis is on new managerial problems along the “archaeological chain” (archaeological discoveries, restoration, museum definition and public access to cultural heritage) posed by new professional discourse and the overall evolution of the economic and political context. The article is based on field research carried out in Luoyang, Henan province. The micro view adopted (managing practices more than policies), and the unusual access to data (including financial figures on individual entities) represent a unique opportunity for a sort of “journey” inside the Chinese public sector.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1558
Author(s):  
Timmy Gambin ◽  
Kari Hyttinen ◽  
Maja Sausmekat ◽  
John Wood

The seabed can be considered as the world’s largest museum, and underwater sites explored and studied so far provide priceless information on human interaction with the sea. In recognition of the importance of this cultural resource, UNESCO, in its 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, determined that objects/sites should be preserved in situ, whilst also advocating for public access and sharing. The implementation of these principles is not without difficulties. Some states have opened up underwater sites to the public—mainly through diving, yet the vast majority of the world’s population does not dive. In Malta, 7000 years of human occupation is reflected in and on the landscape, and recent offshore surveys show that the islands’ long and complex history has also left an indelible mark on the seabed. Besides difficulties related to their protection and management, these sites also present a challenge with regard to sharing and communicating. Recent advances in underwater imaging and processing software have accelerated the development of 3D photogrammetry of submerged sites and the idea for a virtual museum was born. The virtual museum, UnderwaterMalta, was created out of a need to share the plethora of underwater sites located on the seabed of the Maltese Islands. A multitude of digital tools are used to share and communicate these sites, offering visitors a dry dive into submerged sites that would otherwise remain invisible to the vast majority of the public. This paper discusses the basic principle of the sharing of underwater cultural heritage and the difficulties that beset the implementation of such a principle. A detailed explanation and evaluation of the methods used to gather the raw data needed is set in the context of the particular and unique working conditions related to deep water sites. The workings of this paper are based on first-hand experiences garnered through the recording of numerous wrecks over the years and the creation and launch of The Virtual Museum-Underwater Malta—a comprehensive virtual museum specifically built for “displaying” underwater archaeological sites that are otherwise invisible to the general public.


2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 332-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iara Meili ◽  
Eva Heim ◽  
Ana C Pelosi ◽  
Andreas Maercker

The expressions resilience and posttraumatic growth represent metaphorical concepts that are typically found in Euro-American contexts. Metaphors of severe adversity or trauma and the expressions of overcoming it vary across cultures—a lacuna, which has not been given much attention in the literature so far. This study aimed to explore the metaphorical concepts that the Indigenous Pitaguary community in Brazil uses to talk about adaptive and positive responses to severe adversity and to relate them to their socio-cultural context. We carried out 14 semi-structured interviews during field research over a one-month period of fieldwork. The data were explored with systematic metaphor analysis. The core metaphors included images of battle, unity, spirituality, journeys, balance, time, sight, transformation, and development. These metaphors were related to context-specific cultural narratives that underlie the Pitaguary ontological perspective on collectivity, nature, and cosmology. The results suggest that metaphors and cultural narratives can reveal important aspects of a culture’s collective mindset. To have a contextualized understanding of expressive nuances is an essential asset to adapt interventions to specific cultures and promote culture-specific healing and recovery processes.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Oppi ◽  
Cristina Campanale ◽  
Lino Cinquini

PurposeThis paper presents a systematic literature review aiming at analysing how research has addressed performance measurement systems’ (PMSs) ambiguities in the public sector. This paper embraces the ambiguity perspective that PMSs in public sector coexist with and cope with existing ambiguities.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a literature review in Scopus and ScienceDirect, considering articles published since 1985, and the authors selected articles published in the journals included in the Association of Business Schools' Academic Journal Guide (Chartered ABS, 2018). Of the 1,278 abstracts that matched the study’s search criteria, the authors selected 131 articles for full reading and 37 articles for the final discussion.FindingsThe study's key findings concern the elements of ambiguity in PMSs discussed in the literature. The study’s results suggest that ambiguity is still a relevant problem in performance measurement, as a problem that is impossible to be solved and therefore needs to be better understood by researchers and public managers. The analysis allows us to summarize the antecedents and consequences of ambiguity in the public sector.Research limitations/implicationsThe key findings of the study concern the main sources of ambiguity in PMSs discussed in the literature, their antecedents and their consequences. The study results suggest that ambiguity exists in performance measurement and that is an issue to be handled with various strategies that can be implemented by managers and employees.Practical implicationsManagers and researchers may benefit from this research as it may represent a guideline to understand ambiguities in their organizations or in field research. Researchers may also benefit from a summary list of the key issues that have been analysed in the empirical cases provided by this research. Social implicationsThis research may provide insights to limit ambiguity and thus contribute to improve performance measurement in the public sector.Originality/valueThis research presents a comprehensive review on the topic. It provides insight that suggests what future research should attend to in helping to interpret ambiguity, considering also what should be done to influence ambiguity.


2018 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mampe Kumalo ◽  
Caren Brenda Scheepers

PurposeOrganisational decline has far-reaching, negative emotional and financial consequences for staff and customers, generating academic and practitioner interest in turnaround change processes. Despite numerous studies to identify the stages during turnarounds, the findings have been inconclusive. The purpose of this paper is to address the gap by defining these stages, or episodes. The characteristics of leaders affect the outcome of organisational change towards turnarounds. This paper focusses, therefore, on the leadership requirements during specific episodes, from the initial crisis to the full recovery phases.Design/methodology/approachA total of 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted with executives from the public sector in South Africa who went through or were going through turnaround change processes and 3 with experts consulting to these organisations.FindingsContrary to current literature in organisational change, this study found that, in these turnaround situations, leadership in the form of either an individual CEO or director general was preferable to shared leadership or leadership distributed throughout the organisation. This study found four critical episodes that occurred during all the public service turnarounds explored, and established that key leadership requirements differ across these episodes. The study shows how these requirements relate to the current literature on transactional, transformational and authentic leadership.Practical implicationsThe findings on the leadership requirements ultimately inform the selection and development of leaders tasked with high-risk turnaround change processes.Originality/valueFour episodes with corresponding leadership requirements were established in the particular context of public sector turnaround change processes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Herbert Lancha ◽  
Gary A. Sforzo ◽  
Luciana Oquendo Pereira-Lancha

Thousands of dollars are spent today with policies encouraging physical activity and healthy eating, but nutritional consultation per se has continuously failed to yield consistent and lasting results. The aim of this case report is to detail and evaluate nutritional coaching (employing health coaching techniques) in promoting lifestyle changes, enabling improvement of nutritional and body composition associated parameters. The patient in this study had previously engaged in a series of different diet regimens, all of which failed in achieving the proposed aim. After 12 nutritional coaching sessions (one per week) with the strategy presented herein, reductions in body fat mass and in total body weight were attained. Nutritional habits also improved, as the patient showed decreased total energy intake, decreased fat intake, and increased fiber ingestion. Daily physical activity and energy expenditure were enhanced. The coaching program was able to induce immediate health benefits using a strategy with the patient at the core of promoting his own lifestyle changes. In conclusion, the nutritional coaching strategy detailed was effective at helping our patient develop new eating patterns and improve related health parameters.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1197-1202
Author(s):  
Mohammed Abdullah Abduldaim Hizabr Alhusami

The aim of this paper is to investigate the issue of intertextuality in the novel Alfirdaws Alyabab (The Waste Paradise) by the female Saudi novelist and short story writer Laila al-Juhani. Intertextuality is a rhetoric and literary technique defined as a textual reference deliberate or subtle to some other texts with a view of drawing more significance to the core text; and hence it is employed by an author to communicate and discuss ideas in a critical style. The narrative structure of Alfirdaws Alyabab (The Waste Paradise) showcases references of religious, literary, historical, and folkloric intertextuality. In analyzing these references, the study follows the intertextual approach. In her novel The Waste Paradise, Laila al-Juhani portrays the suffering of Saudi women who are less tormented by social marginalization than by an inner conflict between openness to Western culture and conformity to cultural heritage. Intertextuality relates to words, texts, or discourses among each other. Moreover, the intertextual relations are subject to reader’s response to the text. The relation of one text with other texts or contexts never reduces the prestige of writing. Therefore, this study, does not diminish the status of the writer or the text; rather, it is in itself a kind of literary creativity. Finally, this paper aims to introduce Saudi writers in general and the female writers in particular to the world literature.


Heritage ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 2676-2690
Author(s):  
Carlota Pérez-Reverte Pérez-Reverte Mañas ◽  
Felipe Cerezo Cerezo Andreo ◽  
Pablo López López Osorio ◽  
Raúl González González Gallero ◽  
Luis Mariscal Mariscal Rico ◽  
...  

Public access to underwater and maritime cultural heritage has proven to have a very positive effect on the local economy. This type of heritage is very attractive for the cultural tourism sector in general and for active and diving tourism. The Nautical and Underwater Archeology Line of the University of Cadiz, within the framework of the TIDE Project (Interreg Atlantic Area) and Herakles Project (FEDER-UCA18-107327) have been working on the enhancement of maritime and underwater heritage through the application of new technologies. In this paper, we will present the advances in the project in the Strait of Gibraltar, based on the first phase of scientific analysis and on the definition of a common working methodology that has resulted in a toolkit for the development of tourism activities linked to the MCH and UCH. Pilot activities under development are focused on accessible underwater heritage routes, VR applications to create Dry Dive experiences and the streaming of underwater archaeological works, thanks to a bottom-surface acoustic communication buoy. Results show that these types of outreach solutions and, by extension, of tourism application, must be preceded by a rigorous archaeological research process, a study of the target audience and the evaluation of the carrying capacity of the sites, to avoid falling into the mercantilisation or deterioration of the UCH. On the other hand, virtual or indirect access solutions are very useful, but always through the correct interpretation of the heritage.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (01) ◽  
pp. 49-62
Author(s):  
Tamrin Fatoni

Developing powerful communications technology has created unlimited free communication. The negative impact of this phenomenon is when a culture that is not good from the outside is swallowed out by children who are still young. As a result, it will easily experience cultural dislocation. One of the legacies of local wisdom that are not interested in the midst of the community is the Javanese dolanan song. Therefore all efforts must be sought from the very beginning. These efforts can be done through various ways, including habituation of children to play and sing songs (songs) dolanan Javanese, which actually contains a lot of character values. This study included a descriptive study, a case study at PAS Munqidzatun Nasyi'ah Wilangan Islamic Kindergarten. This study aims to describe; 1. Describe the form of character education in PAS Munqidzatun Nasyi'ah Wilangan Islamic Kindergarten. 2. Describe the strategy for implementing character education in PAS Munqidzatun Nasyi'ah Wilangan Islamic Kindergarten. 3. Describe the results of character education in PAS Munqidzatun Nasyi'ah Wilangan Islamic Kindergarten. This research includes field research using a qualitative approach. In collecting data, the author uses the method of interviews, observation, and documentation as a data collection technique. The technique chosen in data analysis is data reduction, data display and conclusions or verification. From this study it can be seen that: 1. the form of character education in PAS Islamic Kindergarten Munqidzatun Nasyi'ah Wilangan is a local widom-based character education (local wisdom) in the form of Javanese dolanan songs. There are three dolanan songs used for character planting, namely Sluku-sluku Bathok, gundul-gundul Pachol and Menthok-menthok. 2. The strategy for the implementation of character education in PAS Islamic Kindergarten Munqidzatun Nasyi'ah Wilangan is to use reflective methods. This can be proven by giving an explanation of moral values ​​to students, after the song is finished the song is sung both in class before the core lesson begins or while playing outside the classroom. 3. The results of character education at PAS Islam Munqidzatun Nasyi'ah Wilangan Kindergarten have fulfilled the values ​​of the basic characters, namely: a. Respectful and polite character through greeting each other and shaking hands. b. This character of independence and responsibility can be seen from throwing garbage in its place.


Author(s):  
P. Clini ◽  
L. Ruggeri ◽  
R. Angeloni ◽  
M. Sasso

Thanks to their playful and educational approach Virtual Museum systems are very effective for the communication of Cultural Heritage. Among the latest technologies Immersive Virtual Reality is probably the most appealing and potentially effective to serve this purpose; nevertheless, due to a poor user-system interaction, caused by an incomplete maturity of a specific technology for museum applications, it is still quite uncommon to find immersive installations in museums.<br> This paper explore the possibilities offered by this technology and presents a workflow that, starting from digital documentation, makes possible an interaction with archaeological finds or any other cultural heritage inside different kinds of immersive virtual reality spaces.<br> Two different cases studies are presented: the National Archaeological Museum of Marche in Ancona and the 3D reconstruction of the Roman Forum of Fanum Fortunae. Two different approaches not only conceptually but also in contents; while the Archaeological Museum is represented in the application simply using spherical panoramas to give the perception of the third dimension, the Roman Forum is a 3D model that allows visitors to move in the virtual space as in the real one.<br> In both cases, the acquisition phase of the artefacts is central; artefacts are digitized with the photogrammetric technique Structure for Motion then they are integrated inside the immersive virtual space using a PC with a HTC Vive system that allows the user to interact with the 3D models turning the manipulation of objects into a fun and exciting experience.<br> The challenge, taking advantage of the latest opportunities made available by photogrammetry and ICT, is to enrich visitors’ experience in Real Museum making possible the interaction with perishable, damaged or lost objects and the public access to inaccessible or no longer existing places promoting in this way the preservation of fragile sites.


2017 ◽  
pp. 124-135
Author(s):  
Anil Kumar Shrestha

Natural disaster is an ongoing phenomenon and among many, the earthquake is one. Nepal holds 11th position in the world as an earthquake prone country because of its geological formations. This paper endeavours to analyse the ongoing reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts taken by Nepal Government after the massive earthquake of 2015. The quest of Building Back Better (BBB) under the resurrection schemes for families, whose houses have been collapsed and challenges are encountered per se, following the statutory enactment and underlying opportunity and threats have been diagnosed in this paper. This study is based upon the field research done in course of conducting 90 different Community Mobile Legal Clinics (CMLCs) in the house of the earthquake victims in three most crisis hit districts i.e. Sindhupalchwok, Gorkha and Bhaktapur, where these clinics were designed to meet triad objectives of legal awareness, consultations and legal aids. The study further attempts to reflect the functions of National Reconstruction Authority for excelling the pace of reconstruction.


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