Authenticity is a notion
central to contemporary preservation work. Within the context of the World
Heritage Convention, it is a primary criterion for considering nominations
to the World Heritage List. As the concept of "cultural heritage" has
extended from its original European roots to the entire world, encompassing
new categories of cultural resources, the meaning of authenticity has come
under new and productive scrutiny. The worldwide debate is just starting to
delve into the question of why authenticity matters, and has since 1994 been
exploring the role of authenticity in the conversion of a building into a
monument, a place into cultural heritage.
As the largest global forum for preservation professionals,
ICOMOS has been the principal arena for the recent discussions on
authenticity in heritage preservation. In a number of ICOMOS national
committees around the world, local culturally specific assumptions about
what authenticity is were recognized as being in conflict with the
assumptions underlying the Operational Guidelines of the World Heritage
Convention. In 1994, meetings of heritage specialists took place in Norway
and Japan [both of which are rich in traditional wooden architecture,
particularly problematic in preservation], as well as Italy, to address
various aspects of this complex topic. The meeting in Nara, Japan, proposed
that regional discussions of authenticity around the world would set the
stage for a comprehensive discussion at the 1996 ICOMOS General Assembly in
Bulgaria.
After Nara, the subject was taken up in a European ICOMOS
Symposium convened in the Czech Republic, and by African ICOMOS committees
that gathered in Zimbabwe. Each discussion has been deeply meaningful
locally, and accumulated wisdom on this subject promises progress in a broad
understanding of the issues.
The Authenticity symposium, held March 27 -30, 1996 in San
Antonio Texas, was the first assembly of the presidents of all the national
committees of ICOMOS in the Americas convened to work on a single theme.
This was a unique opportunity for open dialogue among preservation
professionals to exchange ideas about the meanings of authenticity in
preservation in the New World, and the implications for evaluating and
managing this aspect of our native, colonial, and recent cultural heritage.
Ideally, the symposium would enhance understanding among those whose
experience and perspective differed, and would provide practical and useful
ideas for these men and women whose daily work required a thoughtful
knowledge of the issues.
The papers available on this webpage are the position papers
circulated at the conference by ICOMOS national committees of the Americas.
National Position Papers from ICOMOS National Committees
of the Americas
