| Conference Report: “scope II: Sites & Subjects. Narrating Heritage” in Vienna: A Conference on Future Potentials of Cultural Heritage |
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bridges vol. 12, December 2006 / Feature Article by Robert Temel On September 28 and 29, 2006, the scope II conference "Sites & Subjects. Narrating Heritage" took place at the Austrian National Library in Vienna, Austria. Starting from the debate introduced by UNESCO with their Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage , which was adopted in 2003 and came into force this year, the conference's objective was not to discuss cultural heritage in the usual, nostalgic context. Instead it referred to a point of view which integrates recent outcomes, e.g., of cultural studies, postcolonial studies, museology, and urbanism. How the idea evolved An impressive list of international speakers from these fields as well as political science, anthropology, architecture, and urban studies  met in
Austria to discuss the implications of recent developments concerning
questions of cultural heritage. One cause for starting this debate, but
far from the only one, is the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the
Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage, which will be joined by
Austria next year, as explained by Gabriele Zuna-Kratky, director of
the Museum of Technology in Vienna and member of the Council for
Research and Technology Development , in her welcome message. Another
cause is a study completed by the uma GmbH in May 2006 and commissioned
by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (BMBWK); this study
dealt with the question of recording and preserving cultural heritage
in Austria in relation to cultural and social sciences. Therefore, it
seemed appropriate to continue discussing this highly important topic
in Austria as well as to include international voices.
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