The ethics of conservation: some dilemmas in cultural built heritage projects in England

Abstract

Purpose -The paper aims to offer a contribution to the development of conservation scheme management by examining some of the ethical dilemmas that are commonly encountered in conservation projects. Design/methodology/approach -The approach is a detailed and critical review of existing literature and recent policy direction. Findings -A practitioner's response to the various dilemmas will not only need to be conditioned by the codes of conduct of the various professional institutions but also through the explicit recognition of the very different set of ethical dilemmas that are encountered in conservation projects. Originality/value -The paper contributes to the broader appreciation of the ethical dilemmas that may be encountered in contemporary conservation practice. The paper can inform conservation consultants, administrators, specialist trades, educators and the non-specialist reader.

Heritage protection in England: the New Labour legacy

“…Furthermore, there is a plurality of competing interpretations of conservation value between those who are engaged in conservation work and those consuming it. This can reinforce the charge of elitism that is a continuing theme within the conservation debate, an issue considered further by Mansfield (2009a).…”

The drivers and challenges of improving the energy efficiency performance of listed pre-1919 housing

“…The management of historic properties “is governed by established conservation principles” (Webb, 2017, p. 749). The current principles and regulatory system for the protection of listed properties is primarily based on conservation philosophy developed in the mid-nineteenth century, particularly by John Ruskin (1849) and William Morris (1877) (Pendlebury et al , 2014; Mansfield, 2008). These concepts are founded on minimum intervention, authenticity, reversibility (Pianezze, 2012; Pracchi, 2014) and compatibility (Webb, 2017).…”

Disclosures of unethical practices: framework for the promotion of whistle-blowing in Nigeria's corporate governance

“…Robinson et al (2007) views ethics as a philosophical study of what is right or wrong in human conduct and the rules or principles that should govern it. For Mansfield (2008), ethics is considered to be the explicit philosophical reflection on moral beliefs and practices. From the foregoing, the predominant rationalisation appears to be that ethics deals with issues of right and wrong, good or bad.…”