ABSTRACT
Concluding this collection of essays, I would like to reflect on a few prospects for Asian heritage management based on the shared themes in the preceding chapters. In the broadest sense, the chapters in this volume lead to three general interconnected inferences that seem to be critical at this stage for moving forward in managing heritage in Asia. First, a certain level of rethinking is necessary in Asian heritage management that breaks away from the conventional conservation ideology both in theory and practice. This is deemed necessary in order to respond to the complexity of heritage in Asia, which results partly from the diverse philosophical traditions, multilayered history, and shared as well as unique cultural norms that underlie its heritage, and partly from the pressures of globalization and accelerated efforts for socio-economic progress within Asian contexts. Second, this rethinking should be grounded in local contexts in terms of figuring out whose heritage it is, what it means to them, how it is created, how it is taken care of, and what else is needed for its continuity. It means devising community-specific approaches (in addition to those specific to heritage assets) that respect the local values and ethics associated with heritage assets and, consequently, integrating traditional heritage conservation and management know-how with contemporary conservation ethics and practice. Again, this specifically emphasises liberating oneself from the clutches of sanctioned views of heritage conservation, including the operational concepts, conventions, ethics, and practices. This demands developing new concepts, theories, and tools that could successfully respond to the issues at hand. Several chapters in this volume demonstrate how to go about achieving this. Third, such rethinking is more valuable and effective when it originates from the ground up, from local communities and local heritage experts, based on local cultural wisdom, rather than from the outside agency and ethos. How could these be achieved?
