{"id":61,"date":"2020-02-04T20:40:27","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T20:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-esc-introtocollegereadingandwriting\/?post_type=chapter&p=61"},"modified":"2020-11-13T20:31:04","modified_gmt":"2020-11-13T20:31:04","slug":"what-is-cultural-heritage","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-esc-introtocollegereadingandwriting\/chapter\/what-is-cultural-heritage\/","title":{"raw":"What Is Cultural Heritage?","rendered":"What Is Cultural Heritage?"},"content":{"raw":"
\r\n\r\nby Elena Franchi<\/em>\r\npublished in 2014 in smarthistory<\/em>\r\n
\r\n
<\/div>\r\n

Cultural Heritage: A Shared Bond<\/h2>\r\n
\"\"<\/div>\r\n
We often hear about the importance of cultural heritage. But what is cultural heritage? And whose heritage is it? Whose national heritage, for example, does the\u00a0Mona Lisa<\/i>\u00a0by Leonardo da Vinci belong to? Is it French or Italian? First of all, let\u2019s have a look at the meaning of the words. \u201cHeritage\u201d is a property, something that is inherited, passed down from previous generations. In the case of \u201ccultural heritage,\u201d the heritage doesn\u2019t consist of money or property, but of culture, values and traditions. Cultural heritage implies a shared bond, our belonging to a community. It represents our history and our identity; our bond to the past, to our present, and the future.<\/div>\r\n

Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage<\/h2>\r\n
Cultural heritage often brings to mind artifacts (paintings, drawings, prints, mosaics, sculptures), historical monuments and buildings, as well as archaeological sites. But the concept of cultural heritage is even wider than that, and has gradually grown to include all evidence of human creativity and expression: photographs, documents, books and manuscripts, and instruments, etc. either as individual objects or as collections. Today, towns, underwater heritage, and the natural environment are also considered part of cultural heritage since communities identify themselves with the natural landscape.<\/div>\r\n \r\n\r\nMoreover, cultural heritage is not only limited to material objects that we can see and touch. It also consists of immaterial elements: traditions, oral history, performing arts, social practices, traditional craftsmanship, representations, rituals, knowledge and skills transmitted from generation to generation within a community.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nIntangible heritage therefore includes a dizzying array of traditions, music and dances such as tango and flamenco, holy processions, carnivals, falconry, Viennese coffee house culture, the Azerbaijani carpet and its weaving traditions, Chinese shadow puppetry, the Mediterranean diet, Vedic Chanting, Kabuki theater, the polyphonic singing of the Aka of Central Africa (to name a few examples).\r\n

<\/h2>\r\n

<\/h2>\r\n

The Importance of Protecting Cultural Heritage<\/h2>\r\nBut cultural heritage is not just a set of cultural objects or traditions from the past. It is also the result of a selection process: a process of memory and oblivion that characterizes every human society constantly engaged in choosing\u2014for both cultural and political reasons\u2014what is worthy of being preserved for future generations and what is not.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nAll peoples make their contribution to the culture of the world. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to respect and safeguard all cultural heritage, through national laws and international treaties. Illicit trafficking of artifacts and cultural objects, pillaging of archaeological sites, and destruction of historical buildings and monuments cause irreparable damage to the cultural heritage of a country. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), founded in 1954, has adopted international conventions on the protection of cultural heritage, to foster intercultural understanding while stressing the importance of international cooperation.\r\n\r\nThe protection of cultural property is an old problem. One of the most frequently recurring issues in protecting cultural heritage is the difficult relationship between the interests of the individual and the community, the balance between private and public rights.\r\n\r\nAncient Romans established that a work of art could be considered part of the patrimony of the whole community, even if privately owned. For example, sculptures decorating the fa\u00e7ade of a private building were recognized as having a common value and couldn\u2019t be removed, since they stood in a public site, where they could be seen by all citizens.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nIn his\u00a0Naturalis Historia<\/i>\u00a0the Roman author Pliny the Elder (23\u201379 A.D.) reported that the statesman and general Agrippa placed the\u00a0Apoxyomenos<\/i>, a masterpiece by the very famous Greek sculptor Lysippos, in front of his thermal baths. The statue represented an athlete scraping dust, sweat and oil from his body with a particular instrument called \u201cstrigil.\u201d Emperor Tiberius deeply admired the sculpture and ordered it be removed from public view and placed in his private palace. The Roman people rose up and obliged him to return the\u00a0Apoxyomenos<\/i>\u00a0to its previous location, where everyone could admire it.\r\n\r\nOur right to enjoy the arts, and to participate in the cultural life of the community is included in the United Nation\u2019s 1948\u00a0Universal Declaration of Human Rights<\/i>.\r\n

Whose Cultural Heritage?<\/h2>\r\nThe term \u201ccultural heritage\u201d typically conjures up the idea of a single society and the communication between its members. But cultural boundaries are not necessarily well-defined. Artists, writers, scientists, craftsmen and musicians learn from each other, even if they belong to different cultures, far removed in space or time. Just think about the influence of Japanese prints on Paul Gauguin\u2019s paintings; or of African masks on Pablo Picasso\u2019s works. Or you could also think of western architecture in Liberian homes in Africa. When the freed African-American slaves went back to their homeland, they built homes inspired by the neoclassical style of mansions on American plantations. American neoclassical style was in turn influenced by the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, who had been influenced by Roman and Greek architecture.\r\n\r\n\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \"\"\r\n\r\nLet\u2019s take another example, that of the\u00a0Mona Lisa<\/i>\u00a0painted in the early sixteenth century by Leonardo da Vinci, and displayed at the Mus\u00e9e du Louvre in Paris. From a modern point of view, whose national heritage does the\u00a0Mona Lisa<\/i>\u00a0belong to?\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nLeonardo was a very famous Italian painter, that\u2019s why the\u00a0Mona Lisa<\/i>\u00a0is obviously part of the Italian cultural heritage. When Leonardo went to France, to work at King Francis I\u2019s court, he probably brought the\u00a0Mona Lisa<\/i>\u00a0with him. It seems that in 1518 King Francis I acquired the\u00a0Mona Lisa<\/i>, which therefore ended up in the royal collections: that\u2019s why it is obviously part of the French national heritage, too. This painting has been defined as the best known, the most visited, the most written about and the most parodied work of art in the world: as such, it belongs to the cultural heritage of all mankind.\r\n\r\nCultural heritage passed down to us from our parents must be preserved for the benefit of all. In an era of globalization, cultural heritage helps us to remember our cultural diversity, and its understanding develops mutual respect and renewed dialogue amongst different cultures.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"
\n

by Elena Franchi<\/em>
\npublished in 2014 in smarthistory<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

Cultural Heritage: A Shared Bond<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n
We often hear about the importance of cultural heritage. But what is cultural heritage? And whose heritage is it? Whose national heritage, for example, does the\u00a0Mona Lisa<\/i>\u00a0by Leonardo da Vinci belong to? Is it French or Italian? First of all, let\u2019s have a look at the meaning of the words. \u201cHeritage\u201d is a property, something that is inherited, passed down from previous generations. In the case of \u201ccultural heritage,\u201d the heritage doesn\u2019t consist of money or property, but of culture, values and traditions. Cultural heritage implies a shared bond, our belonging to a community. It represents our history and our identity; our bond to the past, to our present, and the future.<\/div>\n

Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage<\/h2>\n
Cultural heritage often brings to mind artifacts (paintings, drawings, prints, mosaics, sculptures), historical monuments and buildings, as well as archaeological sites. But the concept of cultural heritage is even wider than that, and has gradually grown to include all evidence of human creativity and expression: photographs, documents, books and manuscripts, and instruments, etc. either as individual objects or as collections. Today, towns, underwater heritage, and the natural environment are also considered part of cultural heritage since communities identify themselves with the natural landscape.<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Moreover, cultural heritage is not only limited to material objects that we can see and touch. It also consists of immaterial elements: traditions, oral history, performing arts, social practices, traditional craftsmanship, representations, rituals, knowledge and skills transmitted from generation to generation within a community.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Intangible heritage therefore includes a dizzying array of traditions, music and dances such as tango and flamenco, holy processions, carnivals, falconry, Viennese coffee house culture, the Azerbaijani carpet and its weaving traditions, Chinese shadow puppetry, the Mediterranean diet, Vedic Chanting, Kabuki theater, the polyphonic singing of the Aka of Central Africa (to name a few examples).<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

The Importance of Protecting Cultural Heritage<\/h2>\n

But cultural heritage is not just a set of cultural objects or traditions from the past. It is also the result of a selection process: a process of memory and oblivion that characterizes every human society constantly engaged in choosing\u2014for both cultural and political reasons\u2014what is worthy of being preserved for future generations and what is not.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

All peoples make their contribution to the culture of the world. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to respect and safeguard all cultural heritage, through national laws and international treaties. Illicit trafficking of artifacts and cultural objects, pillaging of archaeological sites, and destruction of historical buildings and monuments cause irreparable damage to the cultural heritage of a country. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), founded in 1954, has adopted international conventions on the protection of cultural heritage, to foster intercultural understanding while stressing the importance of international cooperation.<\/p>\n

The protection of cultural property is an old problem. One of the most frequently recurring issues in protecting cultural heritage is the difficult relationship between the interests of the individual and the community, the balance between private and public rights.<\/p>\n

Ancient Romans established that a work of art could be considered part of the patrimony of the whole community, even if privately owned. For example, sculptures decorating the fa\u00e7ade of a private building were recognized as having a common value and couldn\u2019t be removed, since they stood in a public site, where they could be seen by all citizens.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In his\u00a0Naturalis Historia<\/i>\u00a0the Roman author Pliny the Elder (23\u201379 A.D.) reported that the statesman and general Agrippa placed the\u00a0Apoxyomenos<\/i>, a masterpiece by the very famous Greek sculptor Lysippos, in front of his thermal baths. The statue represented an athlete scraping dust, sweat and oil from his body with a particular instrument called \u201cstrigil.\u201d Emperor Tiberius deeply admired the sculpture and ordered it be removed from public view and placed in his private palace. The Roman people rose up and obliged him to return the\u00a0Apoxyomenos<\/i>\u00a0to its previous location, where everyone could admire it.<\/p>\n

Our right to enjoy the arts, and to participate in the cultural life of the community is included in the United Nation\u2019s 1948\u00a0Universal Declaration of Human Rights<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Whose Cultural Heritage?<\/h2>\n

The term \u201ccultural heritage\u201d typically conjures up the idea of a single society and the communication between its members. But cultural boundaries are not necessarily well-defined. Artists, writers, scientists, craftsmen and musicians learn from each other, even if they belong to different cultures, far removed in space or time. Just think about the influence of Japanese prints on Paul Gauguin\u2019s paintings; or of African masks on Pablo Picasso\u2019s works. Or you could also think of western architecture in Liberian homes in Africa. When the freed African-American slaves went back to their homeland, they built homes inspired by the neoclassical style of mansions on American plantations. American neoclassical style was in turn influenced by the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, who had been influenced by Roman and Greek architecture.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \"\"<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take another example, that of the\u00a0Mona Lisa<\/i>\u00a0painted in the early sixteenth century by Leonardo da Vinci, and displayed at the Mus\u00e9e du Louvre in Paris. From a modern point of view, whose national heritage does the\u00a0Mona Lisa<\/i>\u00a0belong to?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Leonardo was a very famous Italian painter, that\u2019s why the\u00a0Mona Lisa<\/i>\u00a0is obviously part of the Italian cultural heritage. When Leonardo went to France, to work at King Francis I\u2019s court, he probably brought the\u00a0Mona Lisa<\/i>\u00a0with him. It seems that in 1518 King Francis I acquired the\u00a0Mona Lisa<\/i>, which therefore ended up in the royal collections: that\u2019s why it is obviously part of the French national heritage, too. This painting has been defined as the best known, the most visited, the most written about and the most parodied work of art in the world: as such, it belongs to the cultural heritage of all mankind.<\/p>\n

Cultural heritage passed down to us from our parents must be preserved for the benefit of all. In an era of globalization, cultural heritage helps us to remember our cultural diversity, and its understanding develops mutual respect and renewed dialogue amongst different cultures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t

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Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div>