Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development

Cultural heritage is an evolving social concept, charged with dynamism, complexity and multiplicity as primary intrinsic features. Sustainable development is the dominant development paradigm of our time. How do these concepts relate to each other in theory and practice? Responding to the lack of comprehensive and systematic knowledge linking the two so far independent accounts, this book provides the rationale for, and then challenges the integration of their conceptual base by means of an interpretative synthesis. The latter rests on the acknowledgement that both concepts are variously constructed from social, cultural, environmental and economic viewpoints. The proposed interface builds upon identified common principles and goals, perspectives from relevant interdisciplinary fields, and hybrid concepts that address them in a holistic manner. It is aimed to support the foundation of a unified conceptual framework and enhance the practical value of the fragmented research in both fields. Combining rigorous theoretical knowledge with worldwide case-studies, this volume is suitable for a wide range of scholars, students, policy-makers and professionals across various disciplines.