ABSTRACT
In the second decade of the twenty-first century, developments in the heritage preservation discourse indicate changes in approaches and strategies, a number of which have been discussed in this book. There is a clear tendency for increased regional participation and transfrontier cooperation (Chapter 7). Decision mechanisms have moved away from the hegemony of certain countries and became more inclusive, with countries such as China and India developing their own principles in opposition to current criteria, based on providing more support for craft skills (Chapter 2). The majority of current conservation policies in the post-colonial world reflect reactions to colonialism by excluding colonial buildings from statutory protection (Chapter 3). The destruction of historic areas by urban removal, previously justified through modernity (Chapter 4), is continuing in the age of globalisation but is now justified through progress (Chapter 7). There is an increase in the building of simulacra of lost historic buildings for the sake of heritage tourism, a phenomenon visible all over the world (Chapter 5). Most governments have cut their conservation funding as a result of the current economic crisis. However, in many parts of the globe, the private sector is becoming more engaged in supporting historic preservation (Chapter 6). Digital technologies are moving from being just a tool for recording and archiving to a medium for increased community participation (Chapters 6 and 7). Despite all of the problems, there is now a greater awareness of heritage conservation in the whole world, which is also leading to a concept of interpreting intangible heritage with tangible heritage rather than separating these two areas.
