Asian Heritage Management: Contexts, Concerns, and Prospects

The prevalent global heritage discourse has been primarily Euro-centric in its origin, premise, and praxis. Diverse cultural, historical, and geographical contexts, such as that of Asia, call for more context-specific approaches to heritage management. This book explores this complexity of managing the cultural heritage in Asia. Case studies include sites of Angkor, Himeji Castle, Kathmandu Valley, Luang Prabang, Lumbini, and Malacca, and the book uses these to explore the religious worldviews, heritage policies, intangible heritage dimensions, traditional preservation practices, cultural tourism, and the notion of cultural landscape that are crucial in understanding the cultural heritage in Asia. It critiques the contemporary regulatory frameworks in operation and focuses on the issues of global impact on the local cultures in the region. The book goes on to emphasize the need for integrated heritage management approaches that encompass the plurality of heritage conservation concerns in Asian countries. Themes are discussed from the vantage point of heritage scholars and practitioners in the South, Southeast, and East Asia. This book thus presents a distinctive Asian perspective which is a valuable source for students and practitioners of heritage within and beyond the Asian context.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Contexts and Concerns in Asian Heritage Management Part 1: Contexts 1. Jiirnnoddharana: The Hindu Philosophy of Conservation 2. Heritage Conservation in the Buddhist Context 3. Islamic Perspectives and Malay Notions of Heritage Conservation 4.The Conflict of Ideologies and Ambiguities in Conservation Policy:A Legacy of Shared Built Heritage in Pakistan 5. A Comparative Analysis of Three Heritage Management Approaches in Southern China: Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau 6. Managing the Sacred Garden of Lumbini Part 2: Concerns 7. The Himeji Castle World Heritage Site: Challenges of Sustaining Memories of a Revered Heritage in Japan 8. Traditions Overlooked: Re-thinking Cultural Heritage Conservation in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal 9. Cultural Heritage and Sacred Landscapes of South Asia: Reclamation of Govardhan in Braj, India 10. The Challenge of the Cultural Landscape Construct and Associated Intangible Values in an Asian Context 11. Angkor on the World Stage: Conservation in the Colonial and Postcolonial Eras 12. Commodification of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asia 13. Issues of Sustainable Tourism at Heritage Sites in Asia Part 3: Prospects 14. A Community-based Approach to Heritage Management from Ladakh, India 15. Heritage Impact Assessment as a Tool in Managing Development in the Historic City of Melaka, Malaysia 16. Developing an Alternative Paradigm for Asian Heritage Conservation: A Buddhist-Systemic Perspective 17. The City Imageability: A Framework for Defining Urban Heritage Dimensions 18. Epilogue: Prospects for Asian Heritage Management