Think Global Heritage

Think Global Heritage is a new blog created to share news, events and analysis on heritage matters from across the world. With articles written both by both students and professors at Heriot Watt University, the blog aims to reflect on the current developments in the field and engage critically with theoretical issues as well as relevant case studies.

  • HUTSULS: preserving identity

    ”Nowhere is the landscape more spectacular, with the people to match, than the deep, dark mystical forests that cover the mountains and valleys of extreme south eastern Ukraine. This is a landscape that has molded the people who inhabit it. The Hutsuls are the human embodiment of remote, rugged beauty.’’(Europe between East and West, blog) […]

  • The Return of T in The Park?

    There has always been a very close relationship between festivals and culture. culture is involved in the programming of festivals and each element within them constitutes a part of the culture of the society they occur in. All elements of a festival interact with each other in order to deliver a cultural experience. Festivals are […]

  • Off Wi’ His Heid!

    The Scottish versus the English, an ongoing war, when will it stop? As a Scottish 22-year-old I feel that even though the physical fighting is in the part there is still a constant underlying rivalry. Because really which young Scottish person didn’t support Croatia in the world cup semi-final? If we were to go back […]

  • Merci beaucoup, Canal Rideau!

    Since 2007, this outstanding example of canal-building has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It connects Canada’s capital city Ottawa with Kingston, 202 kilometres (126 miles) further south, through a chain of lakes, rivers and man-made locks and canal-cuts. Back in the early 19th century, a solution was sought to establish a more […]

  • The Dark Side of Tourism: Dark Tourism at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin

    The key concepts The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe or Holocaust Memorial in Berlin was designed by New York architect Peter Eisenmann and was officially opened in 2005. The Memorial covers an area of 19,000 square meters and consists of 2711 concrete slabs different in height. It is a Memorial in remembrance of […]

  • Is over-commercialisation bending the meaning of Yoga?

    In 2016, Yoga was listed in the intangible cultural heritage list by UNESCO as part of Indian cultural heritage (ICH, 2018). Intangible cultural heritage is “tradition-based creations of a cultural community” and it is important in reflecting the cultural identity of a place or people (UNESCO, 1998:5). Meaning of Yoga The traditional values practiced in […]

  • Edible Identities: A Heritage Inspired Pot Luck Supper

    Saturday, 7pm. I light the candles. While my Belgian flat mate Louisa is busy folding paper napkins and placing them next to each of the 3 plates, my Italian flatmate Ludovica stands over a pan of simmering sauce.  A pot of salted water rests on the stovetop, ready to be boiled.  I’ve changed into a […]

  • Krampus – another folk tradition being exploited?

    A century-old tradition Half goat, half demon, devil horns, hairy, cloven hooves, bloodshot eyes, a long red tongue, fangs and rusty chains. Naughty children in Austria and Bavaria have every reason to fear the night before St. Nicholas’ Day- the Krampus Night.  According to the century-old tradition, which is believed to date back to pre-Christian paganism, St. […]

  • Kulangsu: Protection or development?

    Introduction： The Kulangsu is located in the Xiamen city, Fujian province in China. It is an small island which is regarded as one of the most famous and typical tourist spots in the Fujian province. Kulangsu is an exceptional example of the mixing of different cultures. For example, there are several kinds of architectures on […]

  • Tulou and Big Fish & Begonia – How Cultural Products could impact Heritage Sites

    Introduction When a heritage site goes into media, whether movies, documentaries, or TV shows, it often helps the public to gain more knowledge and awareness about this certain heritage. Hence, it may have an impact to help the government to raise public awareness of protecting and developing their heritage together. According to the research by […]