RIYADH: Every culture preserves its heritage in a different way. In the West, it is a science; in many non-Western societies, it is a shared responsibility passed down through generations, according to experts.
Around the world, societies approach heritage through lenses shaped by their philosophies, traditions and education systems. Western and non-Western methodologies, though different in approach, share the same goal — to safeguard heritage as a living resource for the future.
“The differences between Western and Non-Western approaches are rooted in the histories of the various countries and regions of the world,” Giovanni Fontana Antonelli, consultant at the Heritage Commission, told Arab News.
He explained that the Western approach to preservation emerged in Europe following the Industrial Revolution when newfound stability and wealth spurred interest in ancient civilizations. Groups of intellectuals, artists, philosophers, archeologists and art historians began to study how to protect those vestiges, especially for the newly born middle class.
Two leading figures shaped early conservation theories in Europe: John Ruskin in the UK and Eugene Viollet-Le-Duc in France.
