Going Beyond Perceptions of Sustainability in Heritage Studies No. 2

As mentioned previously, the idea for this publication emerged from a reflection on the problems, discourses and problem-solving strategies presented in the book Perception of Sustainability in Heritage Studies No1. Even though these discourses were, and still are, important and should be implemented, they reflect and represent mainly the European perspective. Today, more than ever it is important to identify strategies that take as starting points the documents adopted by UNESCO and other UN organs but move beyond them in a way which considers the challenges arising from their implementation at the national and/or local levels. The goal of this publication is to identify concepts for sustainable developments coming from all parts of the world and thus broaden the current discussions and approaches on heritage and sustainability in heritage studies. On this basis, this publication will present approaches to sustainable development in the area of cultural and natural heritage protection, and their corresponding impacts, in order to tackle the problems of sustainable heritage protection worldwide. The readers of this publication should be aware of the necessity to develop innovative concepts that can provide solutions to special cultural, social, ecological or economic challenges. This will also, for example, require a mobilization of new and/or alternative target groups from developing countries, as well as further resultant paradigms for the sustainability discourse. With our publication, going beyond existing political commitments, theoretical perceptions, paradigms, critical reflections and methods, beyond the mainstream, we hope to foster discussion and achieve a better understanding of the role of sustainability in heritage studies.