Goetcheus & Mitchell: Evolution of cultural landscapes as heritage on 20th c. preservation doctrine

Presentation delivered at the ISCCL (International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes) 2021 Symposium Looking Back Looking Forward, December 1 & 2, 2021,
Track 2: 50 Years of Evolution of Cultural Landscape Perspectives and Practice
Cari Goetcheus, University of Georgia
Nora Mitchell, University of Vermont
For French and Spanish versions of the abstract, as well as a download of the presentation, please go to:
The Athens and Venice charters are generally considered the philosophical foundation of modern heritage preservation. Throughout the 20th century, preservation practitioners have continually debated these early doctrines, especially as they’ve been applied to increasingly diverse places in ever-changing social contexts. As important shifts in heritage preservation theory have evolved, a broad range of values have extended the definition of cultural heritage from monument-specific sites to larger landscapes, from local to regional and national scales, from expert to traditional knowledge, and from static cultural fabric to dynamic ecological processes.
This paper argues that the recognition and development of cultural landscapes as valued heritage has been an important influence on the evolution of both broad values of heritage and conservation approaches included in international doctrine. Examination of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, 1979 Burra Charter, 1982 Florence Charter, and the 1994 Nara Document on Authenticity demonstrates that the emergence of cultural landscape assessment and conservation practices have influenced contemporary heritage doctrine to move beyond early preservation philosophy.
Inclusion of cultural landscapes in international, national and local instruments and policies has shaped a concept of heritage that has become increasingly dynamic, inclusive, and reliant on local and Indigenous leadership, governance, and traditional knowledge systems and institutions. Successful preservation of cultural landscapes recognizes the interplay of tangible and intangible heritage and the dynamic interlinked relationship between nature and culture. Sustaining the values and authenticity of cultural landscapes over time requires changes in conservation practice that negotiates a delicate balance between continuity and change, and addresses the sustainability of social, cultural, and economic processes. These shifts in international heritage doctrine, in response to recognition of cultural landscapes, have begun to create a more inclusive and expansive view of heritage values and conservation.
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