UNESCO, Cultural Heritage, and Outstanding Universal Value: Value-based Analyses of the World Heritage and Intangible Cultural Heritage Conventions

204 Pages·2012·1.221 MB·English

by  Sophia Labadi

UNESCO, Cultural Heritage, and
Outstanding Universal Value
ARCHAEOLOGY IN SOCIETY SERIES
SERIESEDITORS
IanHodder,StanfordUniversity
RobertW.Preucel,UniversityofPennsylvania
In recent decades, archaeology has expanded beyond a narrow focus on economics and
environmental adaptation to address issues of ideology, power, and meaning. These
trends, sometimestermed“postprocessual,” dealwithboththe interpretationof the past
and the complex and politically charged interrelationships of past and present. Today,
archaeologyisrespondingtoandincorporatingaspectsofthedebatesonidentity,mean-
ing,andpoliticscurrentlybeingexploredinvaryingfields:socialanthropology,sociolo-
gy, geography, history, linguistics, and psychology. There is a growing realization that
ancientstudiesandmaterialculturecanbealignedwithinthecontemporaryconstruction
ofidentitiesundertherubricsofnationalism,ethnoscapes,andglobalization.Thisinterna-
tionalserieswillhelpconnectthecontemporarypracticeofarchaeologywiththesetrends
inresearchand,intheprocess,demonstratetherelevanceofarchaeologytorelatedfields
andsocietyingeneral.
Volumesinthisseries
UNESCO,CulturalHeritage,andOutstandingUniversalValue:Value-basedAnalysesof
theWorldHeritageandIntangibleCulturalHeritageConventions,bySophiaLabadi
(2013)
InDefenseofThings,byBjørnarOlsen(2010)
Dwelling,Identity,andtheMaya:RelationalArchaeologyatChunchucmil,byScott
Hutson(2009)
TheSocialConstructionofCommunities:Agency,Structure,andIdentityinthePrehis-
panicSouthwest,editedbyMarkD.VarienandJamesM.Potter(2008)
ArchaeologyandthePostcolonialCritique,editedbyMatthewLiebmannandUzmaZ.
Rizvi(2008)
CollaborationinArchaeologicalPractice:EngagingDescendantCommunities,editedby
ChipColwell-ChanthaphonhandT.J.Ferguson(2007)
AppropriatedPasts:IndigenousPeoplesandtheColonialCultureofArchaeology,byIan
J.McNivenandLynetteRussell(2005)
ArchaeologyofPerformance:Theatre,Power,andCommunity,editedbyTakeshiInoma-
taandLawrenceS.Coben(2005)
UNESCO, Cultural Heritage, and
Outstanding Universal Value
Value-based Analyses of the World
Heritage and Intangible Cultural Heritage
Conventions
Sophia Labadi
Adivisionof
ROWMAN&LITTLEFIELDPUBLISHERS,INC.
Lanham•NewYork•Toronto•Plymouth,UK
PublishedbyAltaMiraPress
AdivisionofTheRowman&LittlefieldPublishingGroup,Inc.
AwhollyownedsubsidiaryofTheRowman&LittlefieldPublishingGroup,Inc.
4501ForbesBoulevard,Suite200,Lanham,Maryland20706
www.rowman.com
10ThornburyRoad,PlymouthPL67PP,UnitedKingdom
Copyright©2013byAltaMiraPress
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyany
electronicormechanicalmeans,includinginformationstorageandretrievalsystems,
withoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquote
passagesinareview.
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationInformationAvailable
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Labadi,Sophia.
UNESCO,culturalheritage,andoutstandinguniversalvalue:value-basedanalysesoftheWorld
HeritageandIntangibleCulturalHeritageConventions/SophiaLabadi.
p.cm.—(Archaeologyinsocietyseries)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-7591-2256-7(cloth:alk.paper)—ISBN978-0-7591-2257-4(electronic)
1.WorldHeritageConvention(1972)2.ConventionfortheSafeguardingoftheIntangibleCultural
Heritage(2003)3.Culturalproperty—Protection(Internationallaw)I.Title.
K3791.A41972L332013
344'.09—dc23
2012029460
ThepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsofAmerican
NationalStandardforInformationSciencesPermanenceofPaperforPrintedLibrary
Materials,ANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Amesparents
ToKenandElaine

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction:DissectingOutstandingUniversalValue 1
1 TheoreticalPerspectivesonOutstandingUniversalValue 11
2 OutstandingUniversalValue:InternationalHistory 25
3 NationalConstructionsofthePast 59
4 CulturalDiversityandInclusion 77
5 SustainableTourismandDevelopment:RealisticOutcomeor
WishfulThinking? 95
6 AuthenticityandPost-Authenticity:KeepingItReal? 113
7 TheIntangibleCulturalHeritageConvention:Complementing
WorldHeritage? 127
Conclusion:TheWorldHeritageConventionatForty 147
Appendix:NominationDossiersSelected 157
Bibliography 163
Index 185
AbouttheAuthor 191
vii

Acknowledgments
This book is a revision of my PhD thesis for the Institute of Archaeology,
University College London. This PhD was made possible by fellowships
granted by the Fondation Marcel Bleustein Blanchet pour la Vocation; the
International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS-UK); the British
Federation of Women Graduates; the Gilchrist Educational Trust; Newby
Trust Ltd; the President’s Fund; the Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust;
UCLInstituteofArchaeologyAwards;andtheResearchProjectFund,Grad-
uate School, University College London. Thanks also to those institutions
thatrequestedtoremainanonymous.
I am grateful to my supervisors Kathy Tubb, Henry Cleere and Beverley
Butlerforhavingguidedmethroughthelongpathofwritingathesis.Thanks
arealsoduetoNickMerriman,GaetanoPalumboandNicholasStanley-Price
for having provided guidance on my early research proposals. My thesis
examiners—MayCassarandPeterStone—providedpertinentcomments.My
fellow students and friends showed tremendous support, and I am forever
grateful to all those who provided me with a home when I was living be-
tweenParisandLondon:JoRowland,FionaHandley,ScottHaddow,Serena
Love and Steve Townend, Renata Peters, Sarah McCarthy, my sister Nadia
and,ofcourse,NikHenson.
The process of drafting this volume benefited tremendously from first-
handworkexperienceatUNESCO.Iwouldliketothankallthosewhohave
supported this project and engaged intellectually with it. First and foremost,
FrancescoBandarinandKishoreRao,forhavingencouragedmetowritethis
book, but also all my colleagues at the World Heritage Centre, past and
present,inparticularAlessandroBalsamo,AnneLemaistre,ChristineDelsol,
GiovanniBoccardi,LazareEloundou,MarieNoelTournoux,MechtildRoss-
ler,NuriaSanz,PeterDebrine,PeterStott,RonvonOers,SarahTitchenand
ix