刊行物
｜ ENGLISH ｜
Stefan Gruber
The concept of cultural heritage is a very fluid one which is continually reshaped by discourses led by political, social, or ideological developments, cultural or religious backgrounds, and individual or communal interests. Our understanding of it is resultantly subject to change. Moreover, the idea of heritage may be particularly personal in many instances. It would therefore be misleading to regard the notion of heritage as a merely historical matter. While it undoubtedly flows from the past, its reach extends far beyond ancient sites, archaeological findings, and shared traditions. Indeed, cultural heritage is an especially alive and current concept which forms our identities, gives us a sense of belonging, and connects us to our forebears. The concept of cultural heritage has no fixed meaning and is in fact immensely dynamic. Not only do our ideas about individual heritage assets change with time but so do our general ideas about the notion, its interplay with other developments, and the ways to protect and interact with it.
The approach of the international community to promote cultural heritage protection has continuously progressed over time. Amongst the most important developments following the devastating destruction of cultural property during both World Wars was the 1954 Hague Convention, which acknowledged that cultural heritage must be protected during armed conflicts, as any damage to such would cause an impoverishment of all humankind. A significant stage which followed was the recognition that cultural heritage sites of outstanding universal value must be protected at the international level rather than only at the domestic level because they belong to humanity as a whole instead of only to the states in which they are situated. This appreciation is reflected in the 1972 World Heritage Convention, which also acknowledged the equal importance of cultural and natural heritage and indicated that a strict division between the two is in many cases not only difficult to establish, but also undesirable. A further advancement was the adoption of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention in 2003, which placed emphasis upon the “deep-seated interdependence between the intangible cultural heritage and the tangible cultural and natural heritage” and recognised that intangible assets indeed infuse tangible heritage with meaning.
Angkor in Cambodia, which suffered significantly from looting and civil war, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1992 in an international endeavour to save it from further deterioration.
While these efforts are only a selection of the key developments of international cultural heritage protection, there remains an urgent need to refine our understanding of relevant concepts, enhance protection mechanisms, and develop further essential steps in this tradition. A significant part of my current research is dedicated to developing and fostering a human right to cultural heritage and identity, a concept of particular significance in the Asian context. The right to cultural identity arises directly from the right to human dignity and must be treated with corresponding importance. I believe that the promotion of more rights-based approaches has the potential to substantially advance current heritage protection efforts.
My research relies in large part on fieldwork and collaboration with overseas academics, government officials, stakeholders, and international organisations. In addition to my ongoing work in China, Japan and Southeast Asian countries, I recently visited the UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy in Tehran and relevant Iranian sites in order to gain further perspectives and understanding of related international developments. Through these endeavours I hope to help shape future stages of cultural heritage protection law and policy within the context of justice and sustainable development.
（しゅてふぁん ぐるーばー）
