part 1 - Iccrom

MEASURING HERITAGE CONSERVATION PERFORMANCE
6th International Seminar on Urban Conservation
6.1. Social capital, sense of community
and sense of cultural identity
As mentioned above, one aspect that is frequently
mentioned in conservation heritage projects is social
capital, which is defined as the degree of connectedness
between individuals or groups, which give
them a variety of benefits and the ability to become
more productive (Paxton, 1999, p. 90). Social capital
depends mainly on the trust that individuals have
on each other, as well as on the association capacity
of groups. Both trust and association capacity have
been measured by structured interviews with scoring
systems, in which individuals are asked questions
about their social life and the trust they have in
people (Paxton, 1999, pp. 105-107).
The sense of community is also a very frequent
aspect cited in conservation and heritage literature,
which is described as a very powerful and positive
feeling from individuals belonging to a particular
social group that can be enhanced through the valorization
and enjoyment of cultural heritage. Sense
of community has a dramatic effect on people’s attitudes
and actions, since it positively affects their perception
of social relations and their own control and
empowerment. Sense of community has also been
assessed through structured interviews with questions
about how people feel about their communities
(Chavis and Wandersman, 1990).
Sense of community is closely related to sense of
cultural identity. The latter is a type of collective
identity, by which individuals feel, in a self-ascribed
way, connected to other individuals who share some
cultural characteristics (Ashmore et al., 2004, p. 81).
Cultural identity is based on a common cultural heritage
that may appeal to ethnic, religious or national
values and aspirations. However, we know that
heritage and cultural identity may also be a source
of conflict when tolerance and cultural diversity
are not promoted. For this reason any assessment
should also consider the negative social consequences
that conservation and the revalorization
of cultural heritage may bring about. The sense of
cultural identity is generally assessed through questions
of self-understanding and self-ascription. It
has also been assessed through the use of discourse
analysis and content analysis. Discourse analysis is
the qualitative interpretative analysis of meaning
that is applied to texts, speeches, and social practices
in which social actors express themselves (Abdelal
et al., 2005, p. 14), which requires deep social knowledge
and interpretative skills, as well as familiarity
with the cultural discourse. Content analysis is a
quantitative assessment of specific meaning codes
that are present in texts or speeches (Abdelal et al.,
2005, p. 17).
The sense of place is also a potential social benefit
obtained with the conservation of cultural heritage.
In this respect, English Heritage (2009, p. 13) states
that the revalorization of the historic environment
has a clear positive impact on the sense of place
that people have, which in turn can impact on crime
levels, social inclusion and regeneration. Individuals
with stronger sense of place, therefore, engage
with their communities in a more active way and
therefore build on social capital. English Heritage’s
approach is underpinned by the notion of ‘sustainable
communities’, which aims, among other things,
at developing the local economy, encouraging participation
of community members and fostering a
diverse creative culture with a strong sense of place
(English Heritage, 2005, p. 10).
6.2. Positive social impacts: some examples
Some concrete experiences of conservation and heritage
projects have shown positive social impacts,
albeit without standardized social indicators to
demonstrate this success.
In the case of Incallajta, an important archaeological
site in Bolivia, involvement of the local community
in the excavation and management of the site
resulted in the revalorization of the archaeological
remains, which propitiated a harmonic and sustainable
development of the community based on the
strengthening of social bonds (Muñoz Collazos,
2007).
A similar approach has been taken on projects by
conservators from the Coordinación Nacional de Conservación
del Patrimonio Cultural (CNCPC) of Mexico.
These projects have a community-based approach
that emphasize the active participation of members
from rural or small-scale communities, and in
fact conservators only intervene when communities
have asked for professional assistance (Magar,
2005; Noval Vilar, 2010). This group of conservators
consider the members of communities as the legitimate
owners of this heritage (Noval Vilar, 2009),
in contrast to national discourse and legislation
that emphasizes national ownership (Diario Oficial
de la Federación, 1972). After conservators have
been called by the communities, the first stage is to
organize ‘reflection workshops’ where the values
of heritage are discussed and outlined that dictate
the conservation processes. These projects aim at
developing a sense of common ownership of their
Alonso, V. I. & V. M. Meurs. 2012. Assessing the performance of conservation activities. In Zancheti, S. M. & K. Similä, eds. Measuring
heritage conservation performance, pp. 1-14. Rome, ICCROM.
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