Convenor
Rasmi Shoocongdej
Department of Archaeology, Silpakorn University
Co-convenor
Podjanok Kanjanajuntorn
Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology, Thammasat University
Abstract
Over the past decades, Cultural Heritage Management has played an important role in politics and socio-economic development in Southeast Asia. The tourist industry has become a major source of income for many countries. Historical and archaeological sites have been promoted and internationalized. Local wisdom and folk traditions are admired and valued. Inter-disciplinary approaches have been applied by Southeast Asian and Western scholars, especially archaeologists and anthropologists to develop management plans in order to protect those cultural treasures and to promote the awareness of their significance and relevance to modern society. The participation of local people is considered to be essential. Practitioners may sometimes find Western models inapplicable in ASEAN contexts.
The challenge is how to balance various interests among different stake holders. The long process of intensive studies of heritage, surveys, interviews, experiments, excavations are not always appreciated by some developers. Who should have a say about what we would protect, what we would preserve and why? Cultural and creative tourism is positive when it empowers local people and when exploitation can be prevented. Conceptualizing heritage into two categories of tangible and intangible can be problematic because heritage with physical appearance often contains history and wisdom.
The panel aims to address trends and developments in cultural heritage management in Southeast Asia. It will encourage discussions on practical approaches and theoretical debates on cultural heritage management, Western vs non-Western concepts, law and legislation, ethical responsibilities, heritage and human rights, heritage of conflicts, cultural heritage impact assessment, community archaeology, etc.
IUAES2015 panel session #6 & panel session #7
16 July 2015, 13.30 – 15.00 hrs. & 15.15 – 16.45 hrs.
P6-06-A1
Historical Town: Sathebari – the Bell Metal Capital of Assam
Gangotri Bhuyan
P6-06-A2
Cultural Heritage management in South Asia: Challenges Ahead
Manoj Kumar Singh
P6-06-A3
Competing aspirations towards heritage conservation in Singapore: A case study of Dakota Crescent
Chia Shih Paveena Seah
P6-06-A4
Tangible, Intangible, and Living Heritage:
A Comparative Study of Heritage Perception among the People in Laos and the Philippines
Masao Nishimura
P6-06-A5
“Voices of Tribal Spirits”: Archaeological heritage management in Northwest Thailand
Rasmi Shoocongdej
P6-06-A6
The Mindsets of Local Communities Regarding their Rights to Participatory Heritage Management at Phanom Rung Sanctuary, Northeast Thailand
Benjawan Narasaj