NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Cultural Heritage Management

Cultural heritage management (CHM) is the vocation and practice of managing cultural heritage. It is a branch of cultural resources management (CRM), although it also draws on the practices of conservation, restoration, museology, archaeology, history and architecture. While the term cultural heritage is generally used in Europe, in the USA the term cultural resources is in more general use specifically referring to cultural heritage resources. CHM has traditionally been concerned with the identification, interpretation, maintenance, and preservation of significant cultural sites and physical heritage assets, although intangible aspects of heritage, such as traditional skills, cultures and languages are also considered. The subject typically receives most attention, and resources, in the face of threat, where the focus is often upon rescue or salvage archaeology. Possible threats include urban development, large-scale agriculture, mining activity, looting, erosion or unsustainable visitor numbers. The public face of CHM, and a significant source of income to support continued management of heritage, is the interpretation and presentation to the public, where it is an important aspect of tourism. Communicating with government and the public is therefore a key competence. Cultural heritage (national heritage or just heritage) is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations. ... In the broadest sense, Cultural Resources Management (CRM) is the vocation and practice of managing cultural resources, such as the arts and heritage. ... Categories: Buildings and structures stubs ... Museology (also called museum studies) is the study of how to organize and manage museums and museum collections. ... For referencing in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Citing sources. ... HIStory â€“ Past, Present and Future, Book I is a double album by American singer Michael Jackson released in June 1995 and remains Jacksons most conflicting and controversial release. ... This article is about building architecture. ...

Seahenge photograph by Andy Burnham http://www.megalithic.co.uk

The Newport ship in the foundations of the Riverfront Arts Centre, in 2002

1 The development of CHM
2 Cultural heritage assessment
3 Mitigation
4 The effect of CHM on archaeology
5 Heritage curation and interpretation
6 Historic preservation and restoration
7 Managing intangible cultural heritage
8 See also
9 References
- 9.1 Further reading
- 9.2 External links

Seahenge or Holme I is a bronze-age timber circle discovered in 1998 just off the coast of the English county of Norfolk at Holme-next-the-Sea. ... The Newport ship is a 15th century sailing vessel discovered by archaeologists in June 2002 at Newport. ... The Riverfront Arts Centre (often just referred to as The Riverfront or in Welsh: ) is the principal and newest theatre in the city of Newport, South Wales. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

The development of CHM

It has its roots in the rescue archaeology and urban archaeology undertaken throughout North America and Europe in the years surrounding World War II and the succeeding decades. Salvage projects were hasty attempts to identify and rescue archaeological remains before they were destroyed to make room for large public-works projects or other construction. In the early days of salvage archaeology, it was nearly unheard-of for a project to be delayed because of the presence of even the most fascinating cultural sites, so it behooved the salvage archaeologists to work as fast as possible. Although many sites were lost, much data was saved for posterity through these salvage efforts. Rescue archaeology was a movement of the early 1970s, particularly in Britain which sought to lobby to help stop the loss of archaeological evidence, where it was threatened by building development work in the historic cities, and by agriculture. ... Urban archaeology is a sub discipline of archaeology specialising in the material past of towns and cities where long-term human habitation has often left a rich record of the past. ... North American redirects here. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

In more recent decades, legislation has been passed that emphasizes the identification and protection of cultural sites, especially those on public lands. In the United States, the most notable of these laws remains the National Historic Preservation Act. The administration of President Richard Nixon was most instrumental in passing and developing this legislation, although it has been extended and elaborated upon since. These laws make it a crime to develop any federal lands without conducting a cultural resources survey in order to identify and assess any cultural sites that may be affected. In the United Kingdom, PPG 16 has been instrumental in improving the management of historic sites in the face of development. The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) is a piece of legislation in the United States of America concerned with sites of historic and archaeological interest. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas US Government Portal For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... Nixon redirects here. ... PPG 16 is short for Planning Policy Guidance 16 Archaeology and Planning, a document produced by the British Government to advise local planning authorities on the treatment of archaeology within the planning process. ...

The subject has developed from an emphasis on preservation of material culture (by record if not by physical remains), to encompass the broader concepts of culture, which are inseparable from the local communities. Modern thinking takes the view that cultural heritage belongs to the people, therefore access to cultural heritage has to be ensured. The public reaction to the proposed destruction of the Newport ship shows the importance of heritage to local communities. The Newport ship is a 15th century sailing vessel discovered by archaeologists in June 2002 at Newport. ...

The legislation of individual nations is often based upon ratification of UNESCO conventions, such as the 1972 World Heritage Convention, the Valletta treaty and the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. Specific legislation is sometimes needed to ensure the appropriate protection of individual sites recognized as world heritage sites. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ...

Cultural heritage assessment

See also Cultural landscape

While archaeological sites remain the primary focus for many CRM professional, others research historical records or on ethnohistorical projects. Public outreach also falls within their purview. A recent concept is Traditional Cultural Property or TCP. These are places with cultural importance to a group that may not be either particularly historical or an archaeological site. An example would be a location used for contemporary Native American religious events that has no archaeological remains. The Dresden Elbe Valley World Heritage Site is according to the UNESCO an outstanding example of land use, representing an exceptional development of a major Central-European city having almost half a million inhabitants. ... An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been investigated using the discipline of archaeology. ... Ethnohistory uses both historical and ethnographic data as its foundation. ... For other uses, see Native Americans (disambiguation). ...

A phase of evaluation is considered important in assessing the significance of a possible cultural heritage site. This can comprise a desk-based study, interviews with informants in the community, a wide-area survey, or trial trenching. In North America, survey normally includes either walking ploughed fields in 5-10 metre transects or digging shovel test pits at the same intervals. The soil from the test pits is sifted through 6 mm mesh to look for artifacts. If artifacts are found, the next stage of investigation is usually digging and sifting a spaced grid of test pits (1 m by 1 m trenches) to determine how large or significant the site is.

Mitigation

See also Rescue archaeology

In the United Kingdom and Canada, all forms of development, public and private, are subject to archaeological requirements, while in the United States this work can only be undertaken in federally funded projects or those on government-owned land, except in a few states that have laws that apply also to private land. Rescue archaeology was a movement of the early 1970s, particularly in Britain which sought to lobby to help stop the loss of archaeological evidence, where it was threatened by building development work in the historic cities, and by agriculture. ...

Where archaeolgical requirements apply to a site of proposed development, if no significant archaeological or other cultural property sites are found in the impacted area, construction may proceed as planned, often with the rtequirement that archaeologists are on-site providing a watching brief. If potentially significant remains are found, construction may be delayed to allow for evaluation of the site or sites found within the impacted area. This is done to determine the archaeological site's true significance. If archaeologists determine the site contains important/significant cultural remains, the adverse effects on the site must be mitigated. Site mitigation can involve avoiding the site through redesigning the development or excavating only a percentage of the site. In the U.S., these restrictions involve any federal project involving the possible disturbance of cultural resources and can also extend to state and private developments if they involve public waterways or federal funds.

If archaeologists determine the site contains highly significant cultural remains, the adverse development effects on the site must be mitigated through a structured programme that is often long and expensive. Mitigation can include preservation by record i.e. the site is destroyed by archaeological excavation rather than by the development and miticulous recording transfers the physical traces in the earth to information in archives. Mitigation also includes construction techniques which ensure that archaeological remains are protected in undisturbed parts of the site or even underneath the development. An example of this type of mitigation is the Viking remains at York. For other uses, see York (disambiguation). ...

Important sites are designated as being protected by the state so that no development at all can take place, and governments also recommend the most important sites to be recognised as World Heritage Sites. Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ...

The effect of CHM on archaeology

CHM has been a mixed blessing for archaeology. Preservation legislation has ensured that no valuable site will be destroyed by construction without study, but the work of rescue archaeologists is sometimes controversial. Some academic archaeologists do not take archaeological rescue or salvage work seriously because of its emphasis on site identification and preservation rather than intensive study and analysis. Where archaeology is motivated by proposed development, the archaeological contracts are placed through a bidding process. The choice of archaeological contractor typically lies with the developer and there is little incentive to prevent the company responsible for construction selecting the bid with the lowest price estimate, or shortest investigation time, regardless of the archaeological merits of the submitted bids.

The impact of archaeological rescue and salvage work has been considerable; given the large amount of construction, and that the bulk of archaeological work in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom is developer led. Unfortunately, the large number of reports written on the thousands of sites dug each year are not necessarily published in public forums. So-called grey literature is sometimes difficult for even archaeologists outside the developer or the CRM organisation that performed the work to access. Some initiatives, notably the OASIS project of the Archaeological Data Service in the UK, are beginning to make the reports available to everyone. Categories: Move to Wiktionary | Stub ...

Heritage curation and interpretation

Main articles Heritage interpretation, Museology, Art conservation and restoration

Noticeboard interpreting the protected wreck at Seaton Carew

Curation refers to the long-term preservation and retention of heritage assets and to providing access to them in a variety of forms. Fragile heritage assets may need to be preserved in a special environment, and protected from light (especially ultra-violet), humidity, fluctations in temperature and in some cases, oxygen from the air. Large museums generally employ specialist conservators as well as education officers, archivists and researchers. Museums vary in their approach to interpretation ranging from traditional museums that display collections of artefacts behind glass, with labels identifying each item and giving provenance, to living museums which attempt to recreate a historical place or period so that people can experience it. Within a single museum, a range of approaches may be used including interpretative panels, presenting artefacts in a realistic setting as they would have been experienced, and creating interactive and virtual exhibits. Museums also have processes to loan artefacts to other institutions or exhibitions. Interpretative panels, and other signage, such as Blue plaques in the UK are important in ensuring that cultural heritage is understood in the context of the local community. Heritage interpretation consists in any communication process designed to reveal meanings and relationships of cultural and natural heritage to the public, through first hand involvement with an object, artifact, landscape or site. ... Museology (also called museum studies) is the study of how to organize and manage museums and museum collections. ... Conservation is the profession devoted to the preservation of cultural property for the future. ... Note: Ultraviolet is also the name of a 1998 UK television miniseries about vampires. ... The term humidity is usually taken in daily language to refer to relative humidity. ... For other uses, see Temperature (disambiguation). ... This article is about the chemical element and its most stable form, or dioxygen. ... A museum is a non-profit making, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education and enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment. ... Conservation is the profession devoted to the preservation of cultural property for the future. ... An archivist surveying an unprocessed collection of materials. ... This article is about the concept. ... Provenance is the origin or source from which anything comes. ... A living museum is a type of museum that recreates to the fullest extent conditions of a culture, natural environment or historical period. ... A blue plaque showing information about The Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey in Torquay. ...

Historic preservation and restoration

See also Historic preservation, Conservation area, Building restoration

A scene on the West Somerset Railway

Preseravtion and restoration usually refers to architectural or engineering heritage assets such as heritage buildings or other structures and Heritage railways. The UK has a number of different forms of protection for buildings and structures, including listed buildings, conservation areas and Scheduled Ancient Monuments. In France a building or other structure can be protected as a Monument historique. Successful heritage management for a building generally requires that the building continues to be used, as disused buildings are likely to deteriorate quickly. If the purpose for which the building was originally constructued is no longer viable, then other uses, often requiring sympathetic modification must be found. Demolition of the former Penn Station concourse raised public awareness about preservation Historic preservation is the act of maintaining and repairing existing historic materials and the retention of a propertys form as it has evolved over time. ... A conservation area is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features or biota are safeguarded. ... Categories: Buildings and structures stubs ... A scene on a heritage railway, at Bishops Lydeard station on the 20 mile long West Somerset Railway, Somerset, England. ... A scene on a heritage railway, at Bishops Lydeard station on the 20 mile long West Somerset Railway, Somerset, England. ... The West Somerset Railway (WSR) is a heritage railway that runs along the edge of the Quantock Hills in Somerset, England, between Bishops Lydeard and Watchet. ... A scene on a heritage railway. ... Buckingham Palace, a Grade I listed building. ... A conservation area is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features or biota are safeguarded. ... A Scheduled Ancient Monument is defined in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 and the National Heritage Act 1983 of the United Kingdom government. ... The protection in France known as Monument historique is a State procedure by which heritage is instituted for a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings or an entire neighborhood, plus gardens, bridges, and other structures because of their architectural and historical importance. ...

Heritage machinery, such as antique or vintage cars and heritage railways can best be understood and are best accessed and experienced by the public when they are in an operational condition. Moreover, the heritage skills associated with such heritage assets, such as driving a steam locomotive, can only be maintained if the machinery is used. Restoration to a working, if not pristine condition, and creation of exact working replicas are therefore part of the practice of heritage management. An antique car is generally defined as a car over 25 years of age, this being the definition used by the Antique Automobile Club of America and many other organisations worldwide. ... A vintage car is commonly defined as a car built between the start of 1919 and the end of 1930. ... A scene on a heritage railway. ... Skill is human (usually learned) ability to perform actions. ...

Managing intangible cultural heritage

See also Intangible culture, Folklore

Image:Sitar-1927.jpg

The Sitar, a traditional Indian musical instrument

A reconstruction of a bronze age dwelling at Flag Fen

The intangible cultural heritage consists of traditional skills, beliefs, traditions, oral traditions, music, songs, dance, drama etc. These cannot be stored in a museum but are constantly reinterpreted by the people in a particular cultural region. The management of intangible cultural heritage is difficult as it requires consideration of the lives and living conditions of local communities. Some countries such as India and the members of the African union have recognised the importance of cultural resources and established government departments to manage them. Intangible culture is the opposite of Tangible Culture. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Diagram of some sitar parts. ... Flag Fen Iron Age roundhouse reconstruction Flag Fen near Peterborough, England is a Bronze Age site, probably religious. ... Skill is human (usually learned) ability to perform actions. ... Belief is assent to a proposition. ... A tradition is a story or a custom that is memorized and passed down from generation to generation, originally without the need for a writing system. ... Oral tradition or oral culture is a way of transmitting history, literature or law from one generation to the next in a civilization without a writing system. ... For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ... This page is about musical songs. ... For other uses, see Dance (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Drama (disambiguation). ... Cultural region is a term used mainly in the study of geography. ... The Committee on Education, Culture, Tourism and Human Resources is one of the ten permanent committees of the Pan-African Parliament. ...

References

External links

OASIS project
Cultural heritage information from UNESCO
Anthro Studies Center A university-based cultural resources consultancy
Culturespaces, the Cultural heritage Management

Categories: Archaeological sub-disciplines | Cultural heritage

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ...

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