Heritage Listing as a Tool for Advocacy: The Possibilities for Dissent, Contestation and Emancipation in International Law through International Cultural Heritage Law

Abstract

This article discusses the possible uses of heritage listing under UNESCO for the promotion of broader political and social agendas by minority groups. The article uses as a case study the “Buddhist Chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir, India”. This heritage showcases issues of Tibetan autonomy (both within India and more broadly), relationships between Tibetan and Muslim cultures, and regional autonomy and accommodation of cultural minorities in the Indian State. There are many uses of listing Ladakhi heritage, ranging from listing as a means for autonomy of the Ladakhi, to listing as an instrument of domination, or even geographical control. I argue that heritage listing is not as “apolitical” as normally thought of, and it can be used as a mechanism to both benefit or harm minority groups and the advocacy of their claims within or against the territorial state.

Keywords: cultural heritage, self-determination, listing, Ladakh, Tibet