Theme:
3. The Life of Archaeological Heritage in Society
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Megaliths and the Community: Opportunities and Challenges of Community Engagement in the Management, Public Presentation, and Protection of Neolithic Landscapes
Content:
UNESCO’s updated Operational Guidelines on managing World Heritage sites are useful as an advisory guide for interpretation and community engagement across many types of sites and landscapes. The objectives are to: a) enhance capacity building and research; b) raise general public awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the need to preserve cultural and natural heritage; c) enhance the function of World Heritage in the life of the community; and d) increase equitable, inclusive, and effective participation of local and national populations, including indigenous peoples, in the protection and presentation of heritage. An important element in any interpretation scheme for long-term sustainability is the effectiveness of its community engagement programmes. Our proposed session aims to augment our EAA 2023 session that focused on the public interpretation and presentation of Megaliths with case studies that address the broader landscape with attention to community involvement in both private and public spheres. The goal is to provide a wide geographic scope of exemplary case studies as a basis for developing an ICOMOS-endorsed best practices document. We also plan to use these best practice examples to create an edited volume that will be informative and useful for both professional and public audiences.
Papers will address topics such as:
1) Roles that Megaliths and Neolithic landscapes play in shaping the identity of local communities, recognizing public values of the resource, and supporting the local economy as a driver for tourism;
2) Examples of community engagement in developing effective management strategies for public interpretation, conservation, and protection;
3) Examples of enhanced stakeholder involvement in cooperative relationships among special interest groups, local government, and non-profit organizations in fostering effective protection of natural and cultural features of the landscape;
4) Case studies on the interpretation of Megaliths in their landscapes, not just in World Heritage sites, but in any context.
Keywords:
Megaliths, Neolithic landscapes, community Involvement/engagement, UNESCO World Heritage Guidelines, public interpretation conservation, & protection
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
yes
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
yes
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
John H Jameson (United States) 1,2
Co-organisers:
Heather Sebire (United Kingdom) 3
Affiliations:
1. ICOMOS ICIP/ ICAHM
2. U.S. National Park Service, Retired
3. English Heritage
THIS SESSION CAN NOT BE SELECTED AT THIS MOMENT