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Heritopia : World Heritage and modernity

Wienberg, Jes LU orcid (2021)
Abstract
Heritopia explores the multiple meanings of the past in the present, using the famous temples of Abu Simbel and other World Heritage sites as points of departure. It employs three perspectives in its attempt to understand and explain both past and present: the truth of knowledge, the beauties of narrative, and ethical demands. Crisis theories are rejected as nostalgic expressions of contemporary social criticism. Modernity is viewed as a collection of contradictory narratives and reinterpreted as a combination of technological progress and recently evolved ideas. The book argues that while heritage is expanding, it is not to be found everywhere, and its expansion does not constitute a problem. It investigates the World Heritage Convention... (More)
Heritopia explores the multiple meanings of the past in the present, using the famous temples of Abu Simbel and other World Heritage sites as points of departure. It employs three perspectives in its attempt to understand and explain both past and present: the truth of knowledge, the beauties of narrative, and ethical demands. Crisis theories are rejected as nostalgic expressions of contemporary social criticism. Modernity is viewed as a collection of contradictory narratives and reinterpreted as a combination of technological progress and recently evolved ideas. The book argues that while heritage is expanding, it is not to be found everywhere, and its expansion does not constitute a problem. It investigates the World Heritage Convention as an innovation, demonstrating that the definition of a World Heritage site succeeds in creating a tenable category of outstanding and exclusive heritage. The book introduces the term “Heritopia” in order to conceptualise the utopian expectations associated with World Heritage. Finally, it points to the possibilities of using the past creatively when meeting present-day and future challenges. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)

Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Book/Report
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Heritage Modernity, Abu Simbel, World Heritage, David Lowenthal, heritage industry, uses of the past, truth, beauty and goodness, chronic nostalgia, concepts of modernity, canonical and critical heritage, authenticity
pages
323 pages
publisher
Lund University Press
ISBN
9789198469943
978-91984699-3-6
DOI
10.7765/9789198469943
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
20deb778-6b67-4559-bf0b-b12b46c6cfbd
date added to LUP
2018-12-03 13:33:33
date last changed
2023-05-17 02:48:38
@book{20deb778-6b67-4559-bf0b-b12b46c6cfbd,
  abstract     = {{Heritopia explores the multiple meanings of the past in the present, using the famous temples of Abu Simbel and other World Heritage sites as points of departure. It employs three perspectives in its attempt to understand and explain both past and present: the truth of knowledge, the beauties of narrative, and ethical demands. Crisis theories are rejected as nostalgic expressions of contemporary social criticism. Modernity is viewed as a collection of contradictory narratives and reinterpreted as a combination of technological progress and recently evolved ideas. The book argues that while heritage is expanding, it is not to be found everywhere, and its expansion does not constitute a problem. It investigates the World Heritage Convention as an innovation, demonstrating that the definition of a World Heritage site succeeds in creating a tenable category of outstanding and exclusive heritage. The book introduces the term “Heritopia” in order to conceptualise the utopian expectations associated with World Heritage. Finally, it points to the possibilities of using the past creatively when meeting present-day and future challenges.}},
  author       = {{Wienberg, Jes}},
  isbn         = {{9789198469943}},
  keywords     = {{Heritage Modernity; Abu Simbel; World Heritage; David Lowenthal; heritage industry; uses of the past; truth; beauty and goodness; chronic nostalgia; concepts of modernity; canonical and critical heritage; authenticity}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Lund University Press}},
  title        = {{Heritopia : World Heritage and modernity}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.7765/9789198469943}},
  doi          = {{10.7765/9789198469943}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}