Cultural heritage encompasses both tangible and intangible manifestations of the past that connect with people’s daily lives. It is embodied in historic sites, works of art, landscapes, languages, traditions, and memories.
It can be damaged by both human-made disasters (like war) and natural ones (like a hurricane). It must be preserved, researched, studied, and shared.
Definition
Cultural heritage is the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and skills – as well as the instruments, objects and cultural spaces associated with them – that communities, groups and individuals recognize as part of their culture. It is transmitted from generation to generation and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity, while also promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.
It includes tangible heritage, such as art, monuments and sites, and intangible heritage, such as traditions and other cultural activities. It also encompasses the natural environment, including landscapes and parks that have acquired cultural value through association with significant historic events.
Developing a shared understanding of cultural heritage is an important challenge for all societies. It raises a host of issues, such as contested history and conflicting narratives, memory, identity, repatriation, cultural imperialism and indigenous knowledge systems. It also raises concerns about the way museums, archives and libraries collect. Their collections are often influenced by their own institutional cultures and the needs of researchers, leading to a collection that may be shallow or narrow in scope.
Purpose
Cultural heritage provides an invaluable sense of identity and continuity for communities and individuals. It is also an important source of knowledge about human history and cultures. However, the meaning and significance of cultural heritage varies from community to community.
The identification and preservation of cultural heritage involves a complex process. There are often many different perceptions of what constitutes cultural heritage and these may be influenced by political, economic or religious factors. Cultural heritage is a contested resource and it is important to consider the viewpoints of all members of the community.
While it is vital to preserve the tangible aspects of cultural heritage, it is equally important to protect the intangible aspects. Both kinds of heritage are subject to threats, whether they are caused by natural deterioration, or by human-made disasters such as war and conflict, unsustainable tourism or even terrorist attacks. It is essential to preserve these objects in order to ensure that they are available for future generations to experience and learn from.
Significance
Cultural heritage is a vital expression of the culture that makes up unique communities. It is important to preserve this heritage in order to protect the identity and traditions of a people. Unfortunately, cultural heritage is at risk of disappearing due to natural disasters and conflict. Historically, cultural heritage has been destroyed by war and political upheavals. This includes monuments and religious sites, museums and art galleries, and anthropological collections. Intangible cultural heritage is also at risk, including traditions and oral histories, performing arts like music, dance, and theatre, social practices, traditional craftsmanship, representations, rituals, and knowledge that are passed down through generations within a community.
Studies have shown that cultural heritage has a positive economic impact on the local economy, particularly in areas where it attracts tourists. However, these impacts are difficult to quantify as they are not directly measurable in terms of revenue. Intangible cultural heritage is also an important part of a society’s history, and it provides a sense of connection to the past.
Impact
The impact of cultural heritage goes beyond its direct use to include important intangible benefits like the sense of identity, pride, and belonging that it inspires. These benefits may even empower people to tackle today’s challenges.
A society’s cultural heritage can take the form of physical objects, intangible traditions and practices, or significant places. Often, it is a combination of all three. It is also important to note that what constitutes a culture’s heritage can change over time, influenced by many factors.
The preservation of a society’s cultural heritage requires a combination of policies, education, and community support. However, this is difficult to achieve in the context of globalization and increased mobility. Cultural heritage can be threatened by benign neglect, major accidents or natural disasters, or even social persecution or armed conflict. In addition, the deterioration of cultural heritage can result in a loss of its economic value. Fortunately, there are now a number of techniques that can be used to estimate the economic worth of tangible and intangible cultural heritage.