02346nas a2200277   4500000000100000000000100001000000100002008004100003260000800044653001100052653002400063653001900087653001400106653001900120653002400139653002700163653001700190653001900207100001800226245009800244856015200342300000900494490000700503520153800510022002002048       2022                            d  cjan10aUNESCO10aintangible heritage10aWorld heritage10aEast Asia10aInterpretation10aMemory of the World10aPost-conflict heritage10aPresentation10aReconciliation1 aWilliam Logan00aHeritage interpretation, conflict and reconciliation in East Asia: global issues in microcosm  uhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85108621556&doi=10.1108%2fJCHMSD-05-2021-0081&partnerID=40&md5=1ec29e2504f543c964d44df4b0a9d35f  a5-180 v123 aPurpose: Despite being the intellectual foundation on which the notion of heritage is built and a critical element in all programmes aimed at heritage protection, interpretation as a concept and practice is not well understood or used. Design/methodology/approach: The paper explores the reasons for and consequences of heritage interpretation as a concept and practice not being well understood using case studies within the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) heritage arena in East Asia. Findings: The paper shows how heritage interpretation impacts both positively and negatively on nation-building within states and the shaping of international relations between states. It identifies heritage interpretation approaches that might help to achieve reconciliation between peoples recently engaged in international conflicts. These concerns are not confined to East Asia but apply across the world. Originality/value: The discussion draws together the three principal forms of heritage in UNESCO s global project: heritage places, protected under the World Heritage Convention; living or embodied heritage, safeguarded under the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention and documentary heritage preserved under the Memory of the World Program. Suggestions are made as to how the organizations and agencies charged with heritage protection should and could modify their interpretation policies and procedures to help remediate existing negative impacts and avoid creating new tensions in future.  a20441266 (ISSN)