The making and UN-making of consensus

Institutional inertia in the Unesco World Heritage Committee

Bibliographic Data

ID4930464
AuthorsClaudia Liuzza (0000-0001-8026-1187, Duke University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume28
Issue2
Pages261-284
Publication date2021-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Cultural Property (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0940-7391 • E-ISSN: 1465-7317
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0940739121000175
OpenAlexW3196227843
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited55

This article examines the process of text-based negotiations surrounding the documents of the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. It focuses on revisions to the Operational Guidelines of the Convention and utilizes ethnographic observation and textual examination to show how alternative, and often the most controversial, proposals are silenced through the practice of consensus. It expands anthropological perspectives on the inner workings of intergovernmental institutions and adds to the literature on heritage regimes by providing examples from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) most prestigious intergovernmental committee. Ultimately, the article enhances our understanding of the political tensions and practical limitations of policymaking within intergovernmental organizations in the United Nations, including UNESCO

Convention · Cultural heritage · Environmental ethics · Ethnography · Negotiation · Political science · Politics · Sociology · World heritage · Anthropology · Archaeological Research and Protection · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · Cultural Identity and Heritage · Law · Public Administration

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