UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe und postkoloniale Diskurse

This treatise aims to identify valid points of criticism within the multifaceted postcolonial discourses, in particular those concerning UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, and to situate them within the existing international normative and institutional framework. In doing so, this work focuses on the nomination and management of cultural heritage sites, taking into consideration different communities’ demands to participate in them. Thereby, a clearer understanding is obtained of the extent to which normative protection gaps and shortcomings in implementing the World Heritage Convention exist—as well as potentially hidden postcolonial patterns. Furthermore, the study presents the steps towards reform taken by UNESCO. The author, who holds a UNESCO Chair, believes cultural heritage shapes identity, and calls for a perspective that raises awareness of the nexus between world cultural heritage, cultural human rights and sustainability.