Routledge Studies in Heritage
1 total work
Systems Thinking in Cultural Heritage Conservation
by Jeremy Hutchings and Jonathan Ashley-Smith
Conservation management is a core function of cultural heritage organizations. Without appropriate levels of correctly directed management the cultural assets that are in trust for society will degrade. This book examines the potential of systems-thinking within cultural heritage conservation. The book adopts an analytical approach towards examining different aspects of conservation, including:
* The concept of cultural heritage
* The contribution of cultural heritage to a healthy society
* The complex and interconnected reasons for the retention of cultural heritage
* The reasons why cultural objects are more significant to one group than another
* Different approaches to heritage management, preservation and risk
* The impact of preventive and remedial conservation
* Ethical decision-making for the sustainability of cultural heritage.
With systems-thinking in terms of conservation at its core, this book presents these issues in a new and informative way. Each chapter examines a particular aspect of cultural heritage conservation and is illustrated with case studies. As well as providing an assessment of heritage conservation from a range of perspectives, this unique volume offer a number of systems-based tools and practical methods of applying systems-thinking.