Experts and Epistemologies

Abstract

This chapter examines the consequences of landscapes as heritage and discusses the culture of expertise in heritage negotiations. Drawing on the author's role as a heritage expert and interviews with heritage experts and practitioners, this chapter fleshes out the epistemological criteria upon which expert claims of ownership, authenticity, and identity are made and why this matters. It demonstrates that the multiple theories and methods that are brought to bear in interpreting cultural landscapes, referred to as the “epistemologies of landscapes,” intersect with issues related to cultural and natural heritage, landscape preservation, and identity. Although developments within the landscape paradigm have enabled greater flexibility in design and practice, the majority of models heritage experts draw on were developed within a modern and western framework. In many ways, this genealogical legacy structures whose interests are defined and given legitimacy in how landscapes are imagined and explained, and has tangible implications for descendant and stakeholder communities. The chapter also examines the intersecting frameworks of ecosystems services and natural capital that are increasingly central to heritage negotiations to show how these have become a currency that multinational corporations, the nation-state, private sector, and other decision makers have increasingly drawn on in decisions and management.