Part I

Challenging Conservation: The View From Asia

The philosophies and practicalities of conservation are perennial core issues in the practice and study of heritage. We considered this theme a natural entry point for the volume, as we wanted to address some of the key questions and concerns pertaining to conservation in Asia as it stands today. After much discussion, we opted to approach this by incorporating multiple voices in an attempt to acknowledge the diversity of different opinions across a region as large and diverse as Asia.

Accordingly, Chapter 2 is a roundtable discussion with heritage conservation experts from South, East and Southeast Asia. Three respondents, Pinraj Khanjanusthiti, Hae Un Rii and Aparna Tandon, address six questions related to heritage in Asia, with their answers spanning the national, historical and regional, and a variety of cultural heritage forms including paper, archaeological artifacts and buildings. Their insights range from the theoretical to the practical, and highlight the complexities of approaching conservation in Asia and, in so doing, set the stage for many of the subsequent chapters in this volume.

In Chapter 3, Maurizio Peleggi pushes these themes further, through an exploration of the nature of conservation within Buddhist contexts. He builds a compelling case of contradiction between a faith that embraces canons of impermanence and immateriality, but which is practiced and transmitted primarily as a material religion. Additionally, the ideal of impermanence as a core tenet of Buddhism poses a significant intellectual challenge to the practical concerns related to the conservation of Buddhist heritage sites. Peleggi shows the complexities of the relationship between Buddhism and the material world and provides commentary on the implications of this for heritage management. This chapter provides an excellent example of how long established conservation approaches and practices can lie in tension with local cultural dynamics.

One of the points raised in the roundtable is the legacy of colonialism. The chapters by Ray and Barnard delve into historical sources to demonstrate how the foundations for contemporary legislation, policies, and practices related to the management of heritage resources – both natural and cultural – were laid down in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries in India and Indonesia.

In Chapter 4, Himanshu Ray shows how engagements with heritage sites in India are a product of British era approaches which are deeply entrenched within the main Indian institutions such as the Archaeological Survey of India. Her work reveals the endurance of colonial institutional frameworks in the post-colonial context. Case studies from sites in Madras, Andhra and Bihar show how practices of heritage management adapted from the British colonial administration continue to influence the bureaucratic framework for heritage management in India today, as well as shaping basic ideas about the nature of archaeological monuments. Ray argues that complex religious sites historically shared by different faiths have been reduced to mono-religious monuments by the British.

Similar arguments are explored in Chapter 5 by Timothy Barnard, who focuses on how the colonial legacy shaped approaches to natural heritage in Indonesia. Through a detailed presentation of archival and historical material, Barnard examines the development of Dutch involvement in nature conservation driven by a confluence of scientific interest, hunting and recreation, and popular imagination. Dutch policies regarding the conservation of nature were heavily influenced by charismatic species such as rhinos, orangutans and the Komodo dragon. These policies became the foundation for managing natural heritage in post-independence Indonesia and the drafting of Indonesian legislation which culminated in the nomination of Komodo and Ujung Kulon as World Heritage sites.

Many developing countries rely on the support of international organisations such as UNESCO or World Monuments Fund for the conservation and management of their heritage resources. Such organisations can offer expertise, resources, capacity building and training in heritage management and material conservation, depending on the need. In Chapter 6, Jeff Cody and Kecia Fong draw on their experience of providing such assistance in Southeast Asia to consider the challenges of heritage training and education in the region. They cite the lack of conservators as a major problem in Asia, especially given the practical issues of managing vast and diverse heritage resources which many Asian countries face. The authors look at how conservation formed as a discipline in Asia, and highlight eroding traditional craft skills as a major impediment to conservation in Asia.