ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces Bagan, provides a brief historical background, and explains the rights that are at stake in the context of the ongoing preparation of the World Heritage nomination. It argues that in the case of Bagan, the use of human rights-based approaches raises several challenging questions that need to be addressed. The chapter focuses on two key issues: the ambiguity of cultural rights and the challenges of ensuring participation rights. It also argues that the heterogeneity of communities, internal contestation, and power imbalances make it difficult to identify rights-holders, their particular rights, and appropriate means to guarantee equal participation. The chapter discusses how human rights difficulties become apparent when considering the potential of human rights-based approaches to address certain aspects of the World Heritage nomination of the ancient Buddhist site of Bagan in Myanmar. Human rights-based approaches are one way to think through social justice in the realm of World Heritage conservation.
