The Nature of Heritage

This text is a groundbreaking work by archaeologist Lynn Meskell that examines the conflicts inherent in natural vs. cultural heritage. The author brings archaeological and ethnographic evidence to bear on a holistic understanding of one nation's self-identification by developing its protected areas and cultural heritage sites.

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The Nature of Heritage: The New South Africa is unique in revealing the conflicts inherent in preserving both natural and cultural heritage, by examining the archaeological, ethnographic and economic evidence of a nation's attempts to master its past and its future.

Provides a classic example of how nations attempt to overcome a negative heritage through past mastering of their histories
Evaluates the continuing dominance of nature and conservation over concerns for cultural heritage
Employs ethnographic and archaeological methodologies to reveal how the past is processed into a new national heritage
Identifies heritage as therapy, exemplified in the strategy for repairing legacies of racial and ethnic difference in post-apartheid South Africa
Highlights the role of archaeological heritage sites, national parks and protected areas in economic development and social empowerment
Explores how nature trumps culture and the global implications of the new configurations of heritage