Cultural Heritage

Definition

UNESCO defines cultural heritage as "the legacy of physical artefacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations."

Intangible Cultural Heritage

The practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. This intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.

Tangible Cultural Heritage

• Monuments: architectural works, works of monumental sculpture and painting, elements or structures of an archaeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings and combinations, which are of Outstanding Universal Value from the point of view of history, art or science;

• Groups of buildings: groups of separate or connected buildings which, because of their architecture, their homogeneity or their place in the landscape, are of Outstanding Universal Value from the point of view of history, art or science;

• Sites: works of man or the combined works of nature and man, and areas including archaeological sites which are of Outstanding Universal Value from the historical, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological point of view.

Cultural Heritage and Human Rights

There are two articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that speak directly to culture:

Article 22 Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 27 Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

These articles were strengthened on October 6, 2016, when the "Human Rights Council adopted unanimously a resolution calling upon all States to respect, promote and protect the right of everyone to take part in cultural life, including the ability to access and enjoy cultural heritage, and to take relevant actions to achieve this."

This vote came after the "Report of the Special Rapporteur in the Field of Cultural Rights" was released in February 2016.

The report clearly articulates that "cultural heritage is a human rights issue to which we must take a human rights approach" and that human rights considerations must also take into account a people's relationship to their heritage: "Beyond safeguarding an object or a manifestation in itself, a human rights approach obliges one to take into account the rights of individuals and populations in relation to them. It is impossible to separate a people’s cultural heritage from the people itself and their rights."

Libraries, Archives, and Cultural Heritage

Libraries and archives are vital cultural infrastructure for cultural heritage and human rights. Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) play an essential role in the preservation of and access to cultural heritage. Whether it be through custodial care or through providing access through metadata, finding aids, catalogues, and space, GLAMs are a nexus for individuals and groups to connect with their heritage.

Since access to one's cultural heritage is a human right, GLAMs have a vital role to play in human-rights work by helping provide enduring, ethical, and meaningful access to cultural heritage in all its manifestations.
- Dr. Matt Huculak, Director of the Kula: Library Futures Academy

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has a special "Advisory Committee on Cultural Heritage" to oversee and coordinate cultural heritage work of member institutions. It also supports libraries "to promote culture and to safeguard and provide access to heritage, for the benefit of their communities, today and tomorrow." Moreover, IFLA recognizes that "from developing literacy and artistic skills, supporting the discovery of new creators and their engagement, ensuring equitable access and possibilities to participate, libraries are key to the cultural infrastructure of any community."

Kula & Cultural Heritage & Human Rights

Kula: Library Futures Academy has cultural heritage & human rights work at its core through the following programs:

• Conflict Aftermath Digital Archive Project (CADAP)
• Liberating Knowledge Partnerships (LKP)
• Historic Computing Lab (HCL)
• KULA: Knowledge Creation, Dissemination and Preservation Studies

Librarians, archivists, and gallery workers are cultural heritage workers, and as stewards of cultural heritage, we recognize our profound responsibilities to human rights.

Resources

• IFLA Cultural Heritage Unit
• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

References

Author: Matt Huculak (talk) Reviewer: