Call for papers: 2nd International Conference on Best Practices in World Heritage | Spain

Entitled 'People and Communities', the 2nd International Conference on Best Practices in World Heritage aims to create a meeting point for the management of tangible and intangible properties inscribed as World Heritage from the point of view of both heritage conservation practitioners and local stakeholders. Organised by the Council of Menorca, the Complutense University in Madrid and the Institute of Balearic Studies, the conference will take place in Maó, Menorca, Spain, between 29 April and 2 May 2015. Following the first edition held in 2012, the focus of this second conference is on social action, i.e. the involvement of citizens in heritage assets. Organisers aim to foster new readings on what being World Heritage means and work with the people who do not know it, or do not perceive it in the same way, on the belief that they should be included in UNESCO discourses and should be heard and considered in dealing with their past. Now the people behind the properties have to be the protagonists, and existing knowledge should be used to foster collaboration, creating opportunities for understanding and practical experiences; that is, to move from thought into action. Under this perspective, a call for papers addressing six themes has been launched, namely:

• Cooperation, and particularly how international cooperation for development can be relevant to World Heritage management and community engagement.
• Stakeholders, including the involvement of different stakeholders in the process of World Heritage nomination.
• Perception and interpretation, including the diverse values and meanings attributed to World Heritage.
• Conflict resolution and social involvement, including the wide range of conflicts surrounding World Heritage sites, mediation processes and the place of communities in this context.
• Economic contribution of World Heritage, including the attraction of tourism and other effects.
• Transversal actions, including how World Heritage management involves cross-disciplinary work at technical or policy level.

The deadline to submit proposals has been extended until 30 November. Organisers are particularly interested in receiving proposals from developing countries and are currently aiming to raise funds to this end. For additional information about this conference, visit http://congresobuenaspracticaspm.blogspot.com and http://www.congresopatrimoniomundialmenorca.cime.es/