The sixth year of the UNESCO Chair on Heritage Futures
A new report covers the sixth year of the UNESCO Chair on Heritage Futures at Linnaeus University. Among the highlights of the year were several global initiatives which our Chair could influence with its distinctive perspective on heritage futures that becomes ever better known.
This included the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development MONDIACULT 2022 in Mexico City at the end of September. The conference established the significance of culture as a global public good and called for the inclusion of culture as a stand-along goal in the post-2030 international development agenda.
Memory across generations
A topic that remains significant in the work is memory across generations related to repositories of nuclear waste. In this context, Sarah May co-edited a new volume on Toxic Heritage, and Anders Högberg and Cornelius Holtorf published a paper on "Nuclear Waste as Critical Heritage" that in some ways constitutes a conclusion of the decade-long research on these issues. Among the research projects listed is a range of exciting new empirical research Chair members have been involved in over the past year.
There were also several opportunities to meet and collaborate with other UNESCO Chairholders from different corners of the world. These are important occasions as they pave the way for global collaborations in new areas.
Please get in touch if you have any comments or suggestions!
Cornelius Holtorf, Professor of Archaeology, and holder of the
UNESCO Chair on Heritage Futures
More information
About the Chair
The UNESCO Chair Programme addresses pressing challenges in society. The Chairs serve as think tanks and bridge-builders between the academic world, civil society, local communities, research and policy-making, generating innovation through research, informing policy decisions, and establishing new teaching initiatives. The UNESCO Chair on Heritage Futures at Linnaeus University is one of eight UNESCO Chairs in Sweden and the only one in Sweden in the area of culture.
The concept of 'Heritage Futures' stands at the intersection of past legacies and tomorrow's possibilities. How can our present-day conservation practices shape the world of tomorrow? It's not just about safeguarding relics of the past, but about making them resonate in an evolving world full of challenges. How can futures literacy and foresight help us design the heritage of tomorrow? We develop strategies that can enhance how heritage shapes the future and build global capacity for futures thinking among heritage professionals.