Contested cultural heritages: the case of Holocaust
Jasper Chalcraft, from the University of Sussex, explains why cultural heritage can be contested:
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When different views of heritage are opposed and conflictual
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When the very notion of cultural heritage is contested
He emphasizes the contrast between two approaches to cultural heritage: ‘guardianship’, defended by the Maori people in New Zealand, as opposed to ‘ownership’, which is dominant in Europe. Jasper Chalcraft then moves on to discuss commemorations of the Holocaust and argues that the genocide of the Roma people during World War 2 has been insufficiently included in European memory.
Share your opinion:
Can you think of other examples of contested heritage? In your opinion which factors explain the inclusion or exclusion of a community’s memory in European memory?
