Nara+20: a Theory and Practice Perspective

The 1994 Nara Document played an important role in building bridges between definitions of tangible and intangible heritage and supporting a shift towards a broader values-based approach to the stewardship of the historic environment. Nara+20 marks a second stage in this process, and places the discussion in the context of the present day in the prevalent discourse of globalization and more nuanced concerns for sustainability and resilience. In identifying five priority action areas it calls for the development of new processes and methodologies that recognize heritage values as evolving more than ever before. Decision-making in the conservation field is a complex process dependent on effective negotiation at a time when threats to cultural heritage are also on the increase. Through an emphasis on stakeholder involvement with communities of interest, Nara+20 implicitly signals the diminishing role being played by the State in the heritage field and by extension that of the expert and the scientific discourse from which modern conservation evolved.