Global Futures HeritageLab

ID CARD - belongs to X cluester, X research theme

Globally, heritage programs are placing increasing emphasis on community participation. However, international governance systems, such as UNESCO’s 1972 World Heritage Convention, are centered on decision-making by State Parties, national heritage management institutions and experts. UNESCO, for example, is mandated to work with state institutions and strengthen institutional development on a national level. This system limits civil society participation and its fundamental role in cultural and natural heritage conservation.

The Global Futures HeritageLab revisits the meaning of civil society, its participation in heritage governance, interactions between civil society groups and governing institutions and its role in strengthening democratic governance of heritage. It strives to understand the processes of heritage creation and management to create mechanisms for more participatory, consultative, and transparent engagement. The main question that this HeriatgeLab addresses is: How can heritage decision-making systems and management be democratized to reflect fundamental and inclusive change?

World Heritage Sites and Universal Collections

Silk Roads, Sea Routes and Shared Heritage

Heritage Management in the Arabian World​​​​​​​

OurWorldHeritage Podcast - In partnership with radiomakers Jesper Buursink and Eli Guerrero and the Our World Heritage network (2021)

Connected Through Heritage International Workshop, NYUAD Institute Abu Dhabi (2015)

The Unpredictable Past, National Museum and Stable Civil Societies. International Conference, NYUAD Institute Abu Dhabi (2014)