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The Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage: Article 303 and the UNESCO Convention

Tullio Scovazzi

in The Law of the Sea: Progress and Prospects

On November 6, 2001, the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (CPUCH) was signed in Paris, France, with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural ... More

On November 6, 2001, the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (CPUCH) was signed in Paris, France, with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation; or, UNESCO. When entered into force, it will apply to ‘all traces of human existence having a cultural, historical, or archaeological character, which have been partially or totally under water, periodically or continuously, for at least 100 years’. To explain the merit of the CPUCH, a basic consideration must be made. Any attempts to deal with the cultural heritage at sea inevitably have to face an unexpected obstacle; that is Article 303 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC). This provision is not only incomplete but also counterproductive, and can be interpreted in a way which undermines the very objective of protecting the underwater cultural heritage. This chapter looks at some of the issues surrounding Article 303, including the law of salvage and finds, ‘first come, first served’ approach for archaeological and historical objects found on the continental shelf, regional cooperation, and freedom of the seas.Less

Cultural heritage as performance: Re-enacting Angkorian grandeur in postcolonial Cambodia (1953–70)

Michael Falser

in Cultures of Decolonisation: Transnational productions and practices, 1945-70

The topos of inheriting the built legacy of the temples of Angkor (9th to 13th centuries CE) had been a vital element of the French-colonial civilizing mission in Cambodia from 1863 onwards. Yet this ... More

The topos of inheriting the built legacy of the temples of Angkor (9th to 13th centuries CE) had been a vital element of the French-colonial civilizing mission in Cambodia from 1863 onwards. Yet this claim on ‘cultural heritage’ (or cultural inheritance) was subject to a novel ideological twist when Cambodia became independent in 1953. The classic ‘salvage paradigm’ once practiced by the European colonial power was now appropriated by the newly independent, quasi-‘Neo-Angkorian’ nation state (1954–1970). In this chapter, three different scenarios of this process are discussed: first, the reinvention (as continuation) of the genealogical and religious tradition of the ancient Khmer kings as central element of a new Buddhist socialism of the Non-Aligned country of Cambodia; second, the revival of the grandeur of the built Angkorian antiquity in a modern-day architectural interpretation in vast building programmes for the new-old capital of Phnom Penh and the provinces under state architect Vann Molyvann; and third, the staging of various cultural performances and re-enactments è la Angkorienne within Sihanouk’s strategies of cultural diplomacy, both inside Cambodia with sound-and-light shows inside the Archaeological Park of Angkor, and around the globe through the king’s private Royal Khmer Ballet.Less

Religious Cultural Heritage: The Law and Politics of Conservation, Iconoclasm, and Identity

Lucas Lixinski

in Heritage at the Interface: Interpretation and Identity

This chapter explores some of the convergences and divergences between religion and cultural heritage and international law’s place in attempting to mediate these tensions. I argue that, in the event ... More

This chapter explores some of the convergences and divergences between religion and cultural heritage and international law’s place in attempting to mediate these tensions. I argue that, in the event of conflict, heritage values tend to prevail over religious ones, at least inasmuch as heritage is a proxy for secularism and cosmopolitanism, whereas religion can still be seen as a slippery slope toward fundamentalism and division. Thus, privileging religion is incompatible with a worldview of peace and dialogue among nations, which international law tends to privilege.Less

Gone but Not Forgotten: Sapelo’s Vanishing Folk and the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor

Melissa L. Cooper

in Making Gullah: A History of Sapelo Islanders, Race, and the American Imagination

Chapter 6 explores the legacies of 1920s and 1930s studies within the Gullah revival and the land battles raging throughout the region. This chapter recounts the marriage of low country blacks' newly ... More

Chapter 6 explores the legacies of 1920s and 1930s studies within the Gullah revival and the land battles raging throughout the region. This chapter recounts the marriage of low country blacks' newly embraced Gullah identity, and their fight for the survival of coastal black communities like Sapelo. Chapter 6 investigates cultural preservation and historic preservation—ideas that became deeply contested categories as Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commissioners and Gullah communities try to define their past and plan their future.Less

The Ecotourist Question

Barbara K. Jones

in Wild Capital: Nature's Economic and Ecological Wealth

The ecosystem services model as a valuation tool for cultural capital relies on human well-being as the metric for assigning nature a value that makes sense in a world full of competing choices. If ... More

The ecosystem services model as a valuation tool for cultural capital relies on human well-being as the metric for assigning nature a value that makes sense in a world full of competing choices. If the entire added value of a forest that includes wildlife habitat, recreation, and carbon sequestration is calculated, its continued existence as an intact forest ecosystem can more effectively compete against alternative uses that could either destroy the forest or diminish its services to us. Without a measurable value determined through marginal cost-benefit analysis and the consumer’s willingness to pay, however, the forest ecosystem would be assigned a dollar value of zero, making development the easy default choice. Since outdoor recreation in nature contributes to our well-being, it becomes one of the tools we can use to assign nature value. Responsible travel as ecotourists involves taking visitors into natural areas to educate them about a region’s natural and cultural heritage, as well as to sustain the well-being of local people. Ecotourism can change our relationship with the natural world, as well as teach us how to be better tourists.Less

Examining the Role of UNESCO and Intangible Cultural Heritage

Robin P. Harris

in Storytelling in Siberia: The Olonkho Epic in a Changing World

Research into the key factors in olonkho revitalization reveals a remarkable consistency among Sakha voices, pointing toward the pivotal role of UNESCO’s Masterpiece program and the Convention for ... More

Research into the key factors in olonkho revitalization reveals a remarkable consistency among Sakha voices, pointing toward the pivotal role of UNESCO’s Masterpiece program and the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). For this reason, chapter 4 focuses exclusively on UNESCO and its ICH initiatives. Topics include a description of the Masterpiece proclamation and its absorption into other ICH programs, a clarification of the term “safeguarding,” a comparison between UNESCO’s desired outcomes and Yakutia’s Action Plan for olonkho revitalization, and a discussion of Yakutia’s funding for that Action Plan in the face of budgetary crises. Less

Tourism

Courtney Lewis

in Sovereign Entrepreneurs: Cherokee Small-Business Owners and the Making of Economic Sovereignty

To ignore the obvious proliferation of tourism-based small businesses on the Qualla Boundary is to ignore a principal element of the EBCI’s economy and its rich history of business owner ship. ... More

To ignore the obvious proliferation of tourism-based small businesses on the Qualla Boundary is to ignore a principal element of the EBCI’s economy and its rich history of business owner ship. Furthermore, the importance of the tourism industry for Native Nations across the United States has been growing in recent years, as seen, for example, in the institution of the 2016 Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience (NATIVE) Act. It is for this reason that I dedicate an entire chapter to this topic. Here, the differences between the town of Cherokee and the rest of the Qualla Boundary are clearest, as almost all of the tourism that takes place on the Qualla Boundary is concentrated in Cherokee proper. This chapter focuses on the concept of authenticity, what is “authentic” in tourist’s eyes, and how the EBCI have asserted their representation from the times of nostalgia tourism to the cultural and heritage tourism of today, a change that is financially supported by the casino. This tourism discussion includes topics such as the development of the Qualla Co-operative and branding, such as the “authentically Cherokee” brand.Less

Coda

in The Rape of Mesopotamia: Behind the Looting of the Iraq Museum

This chapter discusses the future of the National Museum of Iraq. The museum has been reduced from a repository into a prison for antiquities, with little prospect to reopen for years to come. There ... More

This chapter discusses the future of the National Museum of Iraq. The museum has been reduced from a repository into a prison for antiquities, with little prospect to reopen for years to come. There is no group showing interest to devote the resources needed to help Iraq salvage what remains of its archaeological heritage before it is entirely broken up and its jumbled remnants disappear altogether into warehouses, dealers' galleries, and the living rooms of the well-to-do. The U.S. government allocated $13 million for the Iraq Cultural Heritage Project but it focuses solely on professional development for conservators and other museum professionals and does not provide any funding to improve the security of archaeological sites.Less

Pulling the Threads Together

Ken Nicolson

in Landscapes Lost and Found: Appreciating Hong Kong's Heritage Cultural Landscapes

The concluding chapter stresses the need for Hong Kong to recognise the concept of cultural landscapes and apply it in conservation studies. Instead of the current ad hoc ‘fire-fighting’ approach to ... More

The concluding chapter stresses the need for Hong Kong to recognise the concept of cultural landscapes and apply it in conservation studies. Instead of the current ad hoc ‘fire-fighting’ approach to conservation, Hong Kong needs to get ahead of the curve by taking proper stock of its natural and built heritage resources and mapping cultural landscapes would be an effective way to integrate these data. In the absence of formal government guidelines, a simple 5-step process is set out to guide the layman and practitioner how to assess the heritage value of a cultural landscape. The importance of understanding the dynamic, evolving interrelationship between nature and mankind that has shaped and will continue to shape cultural landscapes is stressed with a final reminder that conservation is not preservation. Instead, conservation is concerned with the sensible management of change.Less

Epilogue: Reflection-Projection

James Early

in Curatorial Conversations: Cultural Representation and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The epilogue is by James Early, former director of cultural heritage at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural. His long tenure extends across his experiences as a graduate student ... More

The epilogue is by James Early, former director of cultural heritage at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural. His long tenure extends across his experiences as a graduate student researcher in the 1970s, supportive assistant secretary, curator, international spokesperson, mentor, and champion of the Festival’s potential for advancing cultural democracy. In this piece, he reflects on the Festival's past and legacies and looks forward, raising questions about future inclinations and directions.Less

Second Spring

Nina Macaraig

in Cemberlitas Hamami in Istanbul: The Biographical Memoir of a Turkish Bath

The last chapter analyses four more identities that the Çemberlitaş Hamamı has taken on in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries: that of a tourist attraction promoted by a long lineage of ... More

The last chapter analyses four more identities that the Çemberlitaş Hamamı has taken on in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries: that of a tourist attraction promoted by a long lineage of Orientalist painters, travel writers and, lately, guidebooks; that of an emblem for an Ottoman past that many Turkish citizens now rediscover in the wake of a postmodern nostalgia for an Ottoman past that is imagined to be both simpler and more authentic—also known as Ottomania; that of a modern workplace; and that of a digital entity with an online presence.Less

Introduction

Diana Baird N’Diaye, Olivia Cadaval, and Sojin Kim

in Curatorial Conversations: Cultural Representation and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The volume editors frame and contextualize Smithsonian Folklife Festival history with attention to the role of curatorial practice in mediating and negotiating the concerns and interests of the ... More

The volume editors frame and contextualize Smithsonian Folklife Festival history with attention to the role of curatorial practice in mediating and negotiating the concerns and interests of the event’s varied publics and stakeholders. The editors address how the articles create a step towards systematically examining institutional Festival principles and the particular curatorial process of the Festival, unpacking the challenges, responsibilities, and forms of conversation that cultural representation entails; the ideals upon which the Festival is based; and places of friction and contestation that arise among the many parties involved in producing it.Less

Nurturing Bantu Africanness in Bahia

Kwame Dixon and John Burdick

in Comparative Perspectives on Afro-Latin America

Chapter 1 examines the spiritual, social, and philosophical basis of Bantu Blackness as well as the social justice ethos of Bantu activists in Bahia, Brazil.

Beijing: Bureaucratic Anarchy and Symbolic Preservation

Yue Zhang

in The Fragmented Politics of Urban Preservation: Beijing, Chicago, and Paris

This chapter examines how local officials’ purposes of pursuing urban growth and enhancing the global image of Beijing are filtered through the structure of functional fragmentation, thus generated a ... More

This chapter examines how local officials’ purposes of pursuing urban growth and enhancing the global image of Beijing are filtered through the structure of functional fragmentation, thus generated a pattern of symbolic preservation in Beijing.Less

Old Age

Nina Macaraig

in Cemberlitas Hamami in Istanbul: The Biographical Memoir of a Turkish Bath

This chapter describes how the hamam began to show signs of aging. This included a redefinition of its economic family relations, as it became a burden to the endowment and was rented out according ... More

This chapter describes how the hamam began to show signs of aging. This included a redefinition of its economic family relations, as it became a burden to the endowment and was rented out according to a practice that approximated the status of renters to that of owners. Furthermore, old age now meant that after a disastrous fire in 1865 novel city planning practices assigned less value to the sixteenth-century structure and allowed the monument to be mutilated for the sake of building a European-style boulevard wide enough for tramway traffic. At the same time, the hamam took on a new identity as an emblem of Ottoman cultural heritage to be displayed at nineteenth-century world fairs and exhibitions which required each nation to represent itself by easily recognizable architectural icons. With the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, this split identity continued: on the one hand, hamams constituted an old, redundant institution standing for the Ottoman Empire and lifestyle, resulting in neglect and destruction; on the other hand, they were part of the cultural heritage that every nation-state needs to legitimise itself. Nevertheless, the Çemberlitaş Hamamı managed to survive for practical reasons, as it still provided hygiene and entertainment.Less

Introduction

Maurizio Peleggi

in Monastery, Monument, Museum: Sites and Artifacts of Thai Cultural Memory

The Intro grounds the book’s subject matter conceptually with a discussion of cultural memory.

Paris: Intergovernmental Competition and Joint Preservation

Yue Zhang

in The Fragmented Politics of Urban Preservation: Beijing, Chicago, and Paris

This chapter shows that, whereas urban preservation in Paris had long been a privilege of the state, the municipal government has begun to claim more autonomy over its urban territory and attempted ... More

This chapter shows that, whereas urban preservation in Paris had long been a privilege of the state, the municipal government has begun to claim more autonomy over its urban territory and attempted to incorporate urban preservation into a larger frame of urban development. Hence, urban preservation in Paris is gradually transformed from the monopoly of the state to a joint venture between the city and the state.Less