The Politics of Preservation: Privileging One Heritage over Another

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan S. Bell

Abstract:Heritage preservation is distinctly political, often presenting a privileged elitist interpretation of historic sites, while denigrating or even destroying later significant built environments. Structures that are the emanation of subsequent cultures, but similarly tied to the place, are often undervalued, underinterpreted, and even purposely obliterated from the landscape. This article considers the politics of heritage related to privileging one type of historic structure to the complete detriment of the other. The example of Gurna, in Egypt, serves as a powerful case study for the loss of a living historic built environment solely for the simplified or “flattened” interpretation of a place. In highlighting the preferential protection and presentation of the World Heritage Site of the Theban Necropolis and ultimate demise of the historic hamlets of Gurna, the article builds on previous work in the field on interpretation, the impact of tourism, and the conflicting identities of historic sites.

Author(s):  
C. Ochiai

Abstract. This study clarifies different issues associated with temporary emergency shelters called Agariyas during floods, in the Kumano, area along the Kumano River in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The locations and features of Agariyas were identified through fieldwork. To collect and confirm the location and past existences of Agariyas, interviews were conducted with the elderly. Also, a measurement survey was used to collect data on the types, location, floor plan, and material use of Agariyas. The study confirmed that many Agariyas were built after the 1889 flood, the water level of which influenced their locations. However, currently, very few remain. They were mainly minimally furnished with one to two rooms, a storage space, and a small kitchen for a temporary evacuation period. They were built on terraces or mounded ground. Their architectural features differ depending on the owner, but they were most commonly built using wood, and the roof was covered with cedar bark and rounded stones. Younger generations do not know about Agariyas. To increase the local knowledge and awareness of flood disaster culture, it is important to re-evaluate the tangible and intangible heritage in local communities, which includes the effort and wisdom of ancestors related to local disasters. The Kumano-Hongu Shrine and pilgrimage route attract visitors today. However, addressing the experiences and knowledge of local disaster may add value to the World Heritage site.


CEM ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 108-126
Author(s):  
Maria Garganté Llanes

The aim of this work is to present a case study on the identification between Romanesque art and national identity in Catalonia, an association that emerged in the framework of the emergence of national movements at the end of the 19th century, but that was recovered a century later when the process for the declaration of the Romanesque churches of the Boí Valley as a world heritage site by UNESCO began. The identification of the Romanesque with a «national art» is reinforced in this case because it is a Romanesque art located in the heart of the Pyrenees, with the strong symbolic value of the mountain as the «cradle» of the Catalan nation. We will analyse the World Heritage process and its effects in the context of a small territory, with a scarce population and dependent to a great extent on the seasonality of tourism.


Author(s):  
Yaroslava Borisovna Ditsevich ◽  
Roman Yur'evich Kolobov

This article reflects certain results of the research conducted within the framework of implementation of the scientific project No.0-011-00168, supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, dedicated to comprehensive analysis of the international legal regimes for the protection of Lake Baikal. Emphasis is placed on the protection regime of the world heritage, realized on the basis of the cognominal convention. Recognition of the role played by the mechanisms for protection of the World Heritage in conservation of the unique ecosystem of Lake Baikal, the authors note that within the framework of Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage there are promising mechanisms that are currently did not receive due reflection with regards to protection of the lake. Such instruments include the list of world heritage sites that are under a threat; development of the plan for maintaining the world heritage site; strategic environmental assessment of planned activity that may negatively impact the site. The conclusion is made on the need for implementation of the following international legal mechanisms with regards to protection of Lake Baikal: inclusion of Lake Baikal into the list of world heritage sites that are under the threat, upon the initiative of the Russian Federation in case of construction of hydroengineering structures by Mongolia on the Selenga River without taking into account the priorities for preservation of the lake ecosystem; elaboration of the plan for protection of Lake Baikal as the world heritage site. The author also underlines the need to develop the plan that would become the means for harmonization of various legal regimes that ensure protection of the Lake Baikal. Attention given to the approaches towards assessing the impact upon the environment existing within the system of protection of world heritage. It is suggested to consider the recommendations of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources to conduct such assessment on World Heritage sites.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Intan Syafinar Jamaliidin ◽  
Noralfishah Sulaiman

Asia experienced 70% of all the disasters in the world and there is no indication that this will decline in the future. The disaster experienced by a city is mostly caused by the combination and collision of climate change, urbanization, social-economic instability, terrorism, natural disaster, cyber-attack, poverty, and endemic outbreak. The crisis fallen upon a city has captured attention of many audiences, thus in order to conquer the issues, city needs to be resilient in order to face and overcome the situation. Melaka was declared as a world heritage site and the government are taking serious efforts in order to maintain its heritage site by making it a resilient city. This article discusses the policy related initiatives taken by Melaka in preparing the city into resilient state. This is done by using literature and document analysis method on relevant reports, policies and literatures. The output of the research would be beneficial to the state of Melaka in the context of local authorities preparing strategic directions and managing urban development in order to become a resilient city.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Folashade Agusto ◽  
Amy Goldberg ◽  
Omayra Ortega ◽  
Joan Ponce ◽  
Sofya Zaytseva ◽  
...  

AbstractMalaria is a vector-borne disease that is responsible for over 400,000 deaths per year. Although countries around the world have taken measures to decrease the incidence of malaria, many regions remain endemic. Indeed, progress towards elimination has stalled in multiple countries. While control efforts are largely focused at the national level, the movement of individuals between countries may complicate the efficacy of elimination efforts. Here, we consider the case of neighboring countries Botswana and Zimbabwe, connected by human mobility. Both have improved malaria rates in recent years with differing success. We use a two-patch Ross-MacDonald Model with Lagrangian human mobility to examine the coupled disease dynamics between these two countries. In particular, we are interested in the impact that interventions for controlling malaria applied in one country can have on the incidence of malaria in the other country. We find that dynamics and interventions in Zimbabwe can dramatically influence pathways to elimination in Botswana, largely driven by Zimbabwe’s population size and larger basic reproduction number.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-149

Romania has signed the World Heritage Convention in 1990. Its process of implementation was carried out along two decades, but the resulting legal framework does not grant at present the appropriate protection and management of the sites inscribed on the World Heritage List. Moreover, even if steps have been taken towards the implementation of the Convention, the compliance with it is far from being a reality. This study brings forth the fact that in the case of the serial World Heritage Site “Dacian Fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains”, there is a twofold non-compliance with the Convention. First, there is a substantive non-compliance, resulting from the almost complete dereliction of the site: in the last 20 years, there was no management system and 5 of its 6 component parts have been abandoned. Secondly, there is procedural noncompliance, resulting from the fake reporting to the World Heritage Centre, as well as from the omission of some reports. The real situation has recently surfaced, due to the intervention of the civil society, and the World Heritage Centre triggered the reactive monitoring process for this site. At the same time, the possible causes of this non-compliance have been analysed in view of identifying urgent solutions meant to re-establish the balance with respect to the Convention. The main directions of action proposed are the improvement of the legal framework and the adoption of appropriate heritage policies.


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