ABSTRACT
As of 2011, many countries are competing for the acquisition of World Heritage status for their historical sites. Such fierce competition is not limited to between countries. It can also be observed within countries such as the UK or Japan, countries with long Tentative Lists of candidate sites. Hence, it could be said that the interests of States Parties in obtaining World Heritage status are still very high and their aspiration to use that status for various positive purposes is still very strong. Interest in World Heritage status is not limited to the real world. World Heritage Sites (WHSs) have been one of the main research areas in heritage and tourism studies since the late 1990s. For instance, various cases studies focus on issues in the visitor management at WHSs (Shackley 1998a); others look at different issues in managing WHSs, from conceptual framework to site management (Leask and Fyall 2006). Moreover, Jimura examines the impact of World Heritage designation on local communities (2007a; 2011) and the concept of “historic urban landscape” (2009). On the other hand, the establishment of identities at the national, regional and local levels through heritage creation and representation have also been a key area of research (e.g. Hewison 1987; Lowenthal 1998; Waterton and Watson 2010). However, none of these focuses specifically on WHSs and their implications for the creation of identity, especially at the local level. This chapter, therefore, aims to build a bridge between studies about WHSs and those on local identity. Thus, the chapter examines what kind of requirements WHS designation must meet to make a vital contribution to shaping or enhancing a local identity. First, earlier studies of WHSs and local identity are reviewed, and three requirements are identified and discussed.
