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Cultural Governance: A Participatory Approach Towards Sustainable Heritage Management

The study explores the heritage management framework established by the Bopiliao Historic Block in Taipei, Taiwan, looking primarily at the methodologies employed to address the competing tensions between stakeholders. Through creative economy and heritage tourism, paved the way for cultural governance to become a significant tool of sustainable heritage management. The central purpose of the study is to present a case analysis of the Bopiliao Historic Block in Taipei, Taiwan, and the district of Escolta in Manila, Philippines, to demonstrate how cultural governance can generate a sustainable community-based cultural heritage preservation framework. Using the research methods of archival research and participant observation, the study was able to identify factors from the success story of the Bopiliao Historic Block in Taipei, Taiwan that can serve as learning points for the Escolta district in Manila, Philippines, to consider. The findings of the study reveal that it requires more than just the active participation of the civil society to develop a sustainable heritage management framework. Instead, it requires support from all the key stakeholders, and though the levels of support may vary, the major deciding factor is the recognition and acceptance of the historic and cultural value of the community.

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On Colonial Monuments in the Post-colony: An Outline of the Problems of Populist Approaches in Managing Heritage in Southern Africa

What to do with colonial-era monuments has been a major challenge facing southern African nations ever since the demise of colonialism and apartheid in the subregion. To deal with the problem, governments in the region embarked on popular transformative agendas that included decontextualization and the removal of alleged problematic monuments from the public sphere. Such approaches have over the years received the backing of several scholars of heritage and history, who have often cited them as ones capable of offering ever-ending solutions to the issue. However, while recognizing the necessity of transformation, this article nevertheless argues that such a transformative agenda that is characterized by erasures of that which has been accepted as heritage in a particular phase of a country’s history is not a proper way of dealing with such symbols. First, such approaches create possibilities for heritage fundamentalism to filter into the domain of heritage. Second, such approaches were premised on the narrow argument that the notion of problematic heritage is only limited to cases of racial differences or between the former colonizers and the colonized. Instead, by using examples of case studies in one of the countries in the region, the article demonstrates that all heritage is subject to review, either by new political dispensations or by future generations. Hence, when dealing with symbols accepted as heritage, interpretation as opposed to decontextualization or destruction must be resorted to as a guiding framework. When this happens, heritage then ceases to be a platform of contestation and becomes one of continuity.

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Scope for Branding <i>Dora Baran Gamosa</i> Through Intellectual Property Rights and Technology

Dora Baran’s (the groom stole/apparel of the Assamese community) value proposition is created by its contemporary designs, motifs, symbols, yarn richness and, made-to-order provision between the bride and the finesse of customary institution xipinie (Assamese word for Weaver). This apparel can be an avenue for the handloom weavers to increase and sustain a regular household income. However, it needs integrated marketing between buyers and weavers through multiple platforms, and thus, creating a niche or customized market. The business environment for the sector includes about 10,50,189 weavers operating through household looms, self-help groups, unorganized handloom sheds, handloom cooperatives and the regulatory authority of the Directorate of Handloom and Textiles and, policy intervention by the Ministry of Handloom Textile and Sericulture, Directorate of Economics and Statistics Assam. (2022). Statistical Handbook Assam-2022, 54th Edition. Government of Assam. This sector is severely constrained by product consistency, trust and deceptive quality of yarn, distressed sale and an infringement by Ghuni. The intrinsic challenges are depleting artistic weaving skills, revenue leakage from the Assam region, the stagnancy of income through weaving vocation and certain health hazards attributed to the weaving skills and age of the weaver. As a result, the Traditional Cultural Expression (TCE) is vanishing due to neo-societal norms and the weavers are switching to commercial weaving, short-term livelihood activities with little scope of sustainability within the local innovation system of the Assam region. The authors argue that the void between the demand side and supply side is due to a lack of trust, generic artistic skill and inconsistency of the yarn and artefact quality. The authors propose policy intervention of synchronizing branding strategy with registration for design rights, rule of law and block-chain technology solutions to imbibe authenticity and reliability across the supply chain.

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The Past and Future of the Vernacular Cultural Landscapes of Johar Valley, Uttarakhand, India

Nowhere is the inextricable linkage of nature and culture more apparent than the Johar Valley of the Indian Himalayas. For centuries, the inhabitants of the valley’s small, remote high-altitude villages have followed a life closely integrated with seasonal cycles and natural landscapes. The villages retain a unique traditional vernacular architecture and planning reflecting environmental sensibilities. However, geopolitical shifts following the 1962 Sino-Indian War disrupted traditional livelihoods, leading to partial abandonment of upper-altitude villages and leaving traditional vernacular stock to natural elements. Growing ecotourism has renewed interest in these villages, while construction of a road is opening the valley for development. Johar Valley now stands at a major crossroads for preservation planning; yet very little work has been conducted to understand its cultural landscapes, nor to consider the confluence of pressures it faces, nor to imagine its possible futures in this context. In this article, I begin this process by detailing the indigenous village planning and traditional architecture of Johar Valley. I describe the threats facing it, and explore a possible future that draws on the example of National Heritage Areas from the United States in tandem with other homegrown approaches to promoting community-based tourism.

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