Day: June 5, 2024

Culture is often viewed as one of the most important parts of human identity. This is because it can provide a sense of pride and belonging to a particular place. Cultural heritage refers to the sites, things, and practices that a society considers old, important, and worthy of conservation. It is currently the subject of increasing popular and scholarly attention worldwide, and its conceptual scope is expanding. While many scholars emphasize its functions for supporting ethnic, national, and elite interests, others point to its creative and counterhegemonic sides.

Although some of the most well-known examples are buildings, such as cathedrals and palaces, heritage can also be found in landscapes. A cliff, mountain, or forest may become heritage simply because it is a place where an important historical event took place. The plain of Runnymede in England, for example, is considered to be part of Britain’s cultural heritage because it was the site where the Magna Carta was signed.

A common question is whether a particular place or object can be considered cultural heritage, and the answer is usually yes. This includes everything from ruins to ancient artefacts and natural landscapes. It can even include modern art, such as paintings or sculptures. Intangible heritage can also be incorporated, including music and dance. The UNESCO World Heritage Convention is generally considered to have limited the scope of cultural heritage to tangible artefacts, but there has been growing criticism of this approach.

Scholarly research on heritage has a long history, dating back to the rise of antiquarianism and archeology in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Europe. In the nineteenth century, the study of heritage was dominated by nationalist agendas. Then, in the twentieth century, a focus on heritage was adopted by a number of different disciplines, such as anthropology and cultural geography.

The current interest in heritage is reflected in the growth of the field, with a large number of books and articles being published. In fact, a ProQuest Central search for peer-reviewed publications on the subject yields 30,809 results. While this reflects the broad appeal of the topic, it also highlights the need for more rigor in the estimation of heritage values.

While it is easy to understand how buildings and other physical monuments can be considered to be a cultural heritage, less is known about intangible heritage such as the skills used to create it. Moreover, it is not always possible to quantify the benefits of heritage preservation and maintenance, such as the sense of history and belonging that it can provide. This is especially true in countries that are struggling to invest enough resources into education, health, and other social welfare programs. The challenge is to find a balance between the need to preserve cultural heritage and the financial burden of protecting it. However, it is also important to remember that the purposeful destruction of tangible cultural heritage by nonstate armed groups, militias, or despotic governments amounts to more than just damage to historical monuments—it is a form of social and cultural genocide.

Museums have a long history, springing from what might be seen as an innate human desire to collect and interpret the material aspects of our cultural heritage. They have evolved into a worldwide network of institutions that preserve and communicate objects and ideas to the benefit of society and the world. They are a crucial source of inspiration and education for both students and the general public. The word “museum” has classical origins, derived from the Greek Mouseion, meaning the seat of the Muses (or the place where they meet). In Roman times it was used to describe a philosophical institution or a place for contemplation.

In the modern sense, the term began to be used in 18th century Europe, as it was applied to collections of art and antiquities housed in buildings designed for these purposes. In the 19th century museums became more public as societies developed a more democratic view of the arts, and were founded on the principle that their collections should be accessible to all members of the public for study and enjoyment. The development of the museum as a public service was further accelerated after the end of World War II, when there was a clear need to educate an increasingly better-educated public about their past and present.

There are many definitions of a museum, and it is important that museums be aware of all the options in order to make the best choices for their missions. The most recent version of the ICOM definition states that a museum is “an institution established to conserve and to research, communicate and exhibit the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, through its collections, for the benefit of society and in fulfillment of its educational, cultural and scientific mission.”

While the current definition provides a strong foundation for the work of museums around the world, it is important that it also be updated regularly to reflect changes in the context in which we operate. This will require that ICOM Define, the Standing Committee for the museum definition, be responsive to the needs of its membership and the global community, while at the same time ensuring that this process is conducted in a transparent manner.

A new definition will allow museums to address challenges that have arisen over the last few years, such as the need to address issues of diversity and decolonization in their collections and interpretation practices. As illustrated by the famous scene in the movie Black Panther in which Napoleon I parades his treasures through Paris, museums have a tendency to treat artifacts with a nationalistic fervor, and to talk about objects from non-western cultures through a western lens, divorced from their cultural context.

The next step is to consult with the museums, museum professionals and public at large in order to develop a definition that reflects these new realities. This process will be initiated in 2021 and culminate in a proposal for a vote at the ICOM General Assembly in Prague in May 2022.