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Cultural heritage preservation has become a much-debated topic in recent decades. As colonial-era concepts of cultural property ownership are frequently contested and world monuments are increasingly held hostage to political and ideological aims, the preservation community has been forced to reevaluate current international conventions.
The destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taliban in Afghanistan, in particular, raised many difficult questions about who has the responsibility and the right to protect cultural heritage in case of conflict, and what the proper means are to do so. Although the very real danger to the Bamiyan Buddhas was widely recognized before their destruction, the international community was extremely limited in its ability to intervene under current law. Retaining state sovereignty in regards to cultural heritage remains a complex issue.
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These concerns and others were discussed by an international panel of experts at an April 2003 symposium organized by the Asia Society in conjunction with Japan Society and The Korea Society, Cultural Property Forum: The Export Policies of China, South Korea, and Japan .
Similarly, Beyond Bamiyan: Will the World Be Ready Next Time?, a symposium held in April 2002, discussed events in Afghanistan in particular and their implications. Access a summary of the symposium along with one of the papers presented, relevant AsiaSource interviews and special reports, links to international cultural heritage preservation organizations, publications and reports, and online resources about the preservation of Asia's cultural heritage.
This project was made possible with the generous support of the Hazen Polsky Foundation.
Interviews
Preserving Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage: An Interview with Nancy Hatch Dupree
An internationally recognized expert on the history, art, and archaeology of Afghanistan, Nancy Hatch Dupree has dedicated a lifetime to documenting and preserving Afghanistan's cultural heritage. AsiaSource spoke with Mrs. Dupree about the aftermath of the destruction of cultural property in Afghanistan and the situation cultural preservation and non-profit organizations are facing in Afghanistan today.
Bamiyan and Beyond: Paul Bucherer on Afghanistan
Paul Bucherer is the Director of the Afghanistan Institute and Museum (Bibliotheca Afghanica) in Switzerland. In this interview with AsiaSource, Mr Bucherer discusses the collection in his Bibliotheca Afghanica, Al-Qaeda's involvement in the destruction of the Buddhas in Bamiyan, and the possible reconstruction of the statues.
Cultural Heritage and International Law: A Conversation with Lyndel Prott
The Getty Conservation Institute Newsletter, 2001
A Conversation with Sharon Sullivan, Director of the Australian Heritage Commission
The Getty Conservation Institute Newsletter, 1992
Special Reports
Taliban: What Prompted Bamiyan?
This report on the Taliban's destruction of heritage sites in Afghanistan provides background material and analysis of what factors might have influenced their decision.
Cultural Property Forum: The Export Policies of China, South Korea, and
Japan
On April 9, 2003, the Asia Society, in conjunction with Japan Society
and The Korea Society, convened a small panel of experts and invited
guests for a forum on cultural property laws and, more specifically, the
export policies of China, South Korea, and Japan - laws that have served
to protect the cultural patrimony of East Asia while permitting the
reasonable export of works of art when licensed appropriately. Panelists
included Dr. Washizuka Hiromitsu, Director, Nara National Museum, Japan;
Mr. Park Youngbok, Director, Gyeongju National Museum, Republic of
Korea; and Ms. Wang Li Mei, Secretary General, Chinese Association for
Cultural Property Exchanges and Director, Gehua Center for Chinese
Antiquities. The moderator was Professor Jerome Cohen, a distinguished
international lawyer and Professor, New York University Law School and
Senior Fellow for Asia, Council on Foreign Relations.
This cultural
property session was made possible with the assistance of the Hazen
Polsky Foundation.
Beyond Bamiyan: Will the World Be Ready Next Time?
On April 3, 2002, the Asia Society gathered a distinguished panel of experts to examine the roots of the current cultural patrimony debates, successful policies on the protection of cultural properties, and the next steps to be taken by the global community when future problems arise regarding cultural heritage. Panelists included Philippe de Montebello, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Derek Gillman, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts; Paul Bucherer, Afghanistan Institute, Switzerland; Masato Kitani, Director-General, Cultural Property Protection Department, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan; James Cuno, Harvard University Art Museums; and Mounir Bouchenaki, Assistant Director General for Culture, UNESCO. Program moderated by Barbara Crossette, The New York Times, with Bonnie Burnham, World Monuments Fund, discussant.
This program was made possible with the assistance of the Hazen
Polsky Foundation.
Read a summary of the symposium, and Derek Gillman's presentation on Heritage and Legal Conventions.
International Organizations
SAFE
World Monuments Fund
UNESCO World Heritage Committee
International Council on Monuments and Sites
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
International Council of Museums
International Council of Museums Committee for Conservation
Organization of World Heritage Cities
World Conservation Monitoring Centre
Getty Conservation Institute
The Asia-Europe Museum Network
Publications and Reports
World Heritage: Shield or Target?
The Getty Conservation Institute Newsletter, 2001
Journal of Conservation & Museum Studies
Institute of Archaeology, University College London, November 2001
Values and Heritage Conservation
The Getty Conservation Institute, 2000
The Challenges of Sustainable Community Cultural Heritage Tourism
Walter Jamieson, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand, 2000
Economics and Heritage Conservation
The Getty Conservation Institute, 1999
7th Seminar on the Conservation of Asian Cultural Heritage
Tokyo National Research Institute of Cultural Properties, 1999
Preserving Asia's Cultural Heritage
Lawrence E. Butler, Associate Professor of Art History, George Mason University, 1998
Cities of Asia: Heritage for the Future
UNESCO, 1996
The Future of Asia's Past: Preservation of the Architectural Heritage of Asia
The Getty Conservation Institute, 1995
Resources and Links
Indian National Trust for Art and Culture Heritage
Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust
Australian Institute for Conservation of Cultural Materials
Japan Center for International Cooperation in Conservation
Angkor, Cambodia
Remote radar sensing images from NASA.
Jaisalmer Fort, India
Georgetown, Malaysia
Kampung Cina, Malaysia
Afghanistan
Sloane Art Library - Afghanistan Cultural Heritage
UNESCO - Reconstructing Afghanistan
World Monuments Watch - Countering Cultural Terrorism: A Response to the Destruction in Afghanistan
Afghan Cultural Heritage
Asia General
World Monuments Watch - Asia
UNESCO World Heritage List - Asia and the Pacific
2002 United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage
Preservation General
PreserveNet - Links
The Getty Conservation Institute - Cultural Heritage Policy Documents
UNESCO - Cultural Heritage
UNESCO - Legal Protection and Heritage
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