24.06.2010 | 18:00

The Value of Value: World Heritage, Tourism and Building Futures

Prof. Mike Robinson (Leeds Metropolitan University, Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change)

Institut für Ethnologie
Reichardtstraße 11
06114 Halle/Saale
Seminarraum

This presentation examines the concept of ‘outstanding universal value’ as it has been applied in the designation of World Heritage Sites. It seeks to re-frame the meaning of value in this dis-course by positioning it against the political, economic and socio-cultural realities of the processes and practices of proposing and inscribing world heritage. In what can be termed a hyper-proli-feration of ‘world’ heritage and against the challenging agenda of the Millinneum Development Goals, to what extent is an ideal of non-instrumental value valuable? It is argued that to preserve the idea of world heritage we need to re-define how we project and how we read the value of sites and landscapes and move toward a much more pragmatic discourse involving instrumental values. A well managed, culturally sensitive and environmentally friendly tourism is a key part of redefining the value of World Heritage so that it can be embedded as part of a wider agenda which addresses issues of development, poverty alleviation and community empowerment.

Professor Mike Robinson holds the Chair of Tourism and Culture at Leeds Metropolitan University. He is founder and Joint Editor of the Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change and Joint Editor of the book series – Tourism and Cultural Change.
His recent books are: The Framed World: Tourism, Tourists and Photography. Ashgate Publishing, 2009, co-edited with David Picard, Tourism, Culture and Sustainable Development, UNESCO Cultural Tourism Division, UNESCO: Paris 2006, co-authored with David Picard. Festival Tourism and Social Change: Remaking Worlds. Channel View: Clevedon (2006). Cultural Tourism in a Changing World: Politics, Participation and (Re)presentation. Channel View: Clevedon (2006), co-edited with Melanie Smith.