A Political Economy of Heritage and the Commons: A First Sketch Focusing on Greece

Abstract

The commons today constitute a hotly debated topic with wide research range spanning from the natural resources to social and digital goods. However, discussions on heritage as commons are limited, considered mostly as part of the state politics and economics agenda. This chapter attempts to provide an initial sketch of the emerging field of heritage commons, based on empirical work carried out by the author in Greece; a country at the forefront of the development of the 'cultural property' notion for heritage, currently negotiating the public texture of its monuments and cultural economy. Commenting on the state enclosure of the past and subsequent practices by other agencies within this appropriation, this chapter attempts to redefine heritage and its components, drawing on their social and economic values and the tripartite schema of the commons (resources, involved communities, regulatory frame) towards a more democratic governance perspective.

A Dialogue between the Humanities and Social Sciences: Cultural Landscapes and Their Transformative Potential for Social Innovation

“…In the context of heritage, the notion of 'commoning' unavoidably creates a tension between the regulatory role of the state and the development plans of private enterprises on the one hand and the idea of collective governance on the other (see [99] for commoning as a form of a 'polycentric' system of governance (cited in [100]) (p. 85)). While state and private enterprises tend towards the creation of 'enclosures' [101], commoning aims at openness and participation. The latter terms refer here not only to economic strategies of accessibility but also to bottom-up approaches in terms of narrative, interpretation, and experience relating to heritage sites [100].…”

“…For example, local Yi communities use terrace landscape motifs on women's costumes [142] (pp. [97][98][99][100][101]. And in Yunnan's Hani society, practical experiences of terrace cultivation and water management have influenced the way that the natural environment has been cosmologically conceptualized [143] (p. 319).…”

Landscape archaeology, sustainability and the necessity of change

“…These will include not only environmental benefits (flood prevention, provision of clean water, supporting ecological diversity) but also wellbeing benefits -for example providing time and space for leisure and recreation. Archaeological knowledge has the potential to underpin the equitable access to landscape as a common good which links urban and rural communities, thus contributing in a substantial way to future social justice (Lekakis 2020). In pursuit of these goals the arguments for archaeologists to contribute through transdisciplinary approaches which link together actors from many communities of interest are not only compelling but unavoidable.…”