All contributions derive from longterm ethnographic studies and place their observations in social, historical and political context. Their focus on the ground allows us to understand what heritage means to different stakeholders and how different agendas come into conflictThe contributions answer the main question of the book, providing interesting and detailed case studies. Nevertheless, the book does not suggest avenues for the resolution of issues. Social Anthropology/Anthropologie sociale
World Heritage on the Ground is an engaging collection of essays that will be of interest to anthropologists, heritage practitioners, UN- and NGO-graphers, and others. Readers are presented with a diverse range of theoretical approaches, themes and sub-themes, and rich ethnographic and historical work. The book would make an excellent contribution to syllabi on heritage studies, globalization, and critical development studies. Anthropology Book Forum
Brumann's study illuminates the World Heritage arena very well in all its complexity. After reading his rich descriptions from the field, written in a very beautiful, lively and varied language, one has the feeling as a reader of having become a kind of World Heritage expert oneself ... Particularly appealing and insightful is the regular zooming in and out of concrete interactions in the field or into larger contexts that become visible in the individual sessions ... Brumann obviously attaches great importance to drawing a complete picture not only of the arena but also of the debates surrounding its study. Zeitschrift für Ethnologie/Journal of Social and Cultural Anthropology
this excellent book provides thoughtful critiques of UNESCO, state organizations, developers, and the tourist bureaus that translate and reconfigure UNESCO policies in glocalizing ways. Several chapters interrogate the category of World Heritage and at times seek to unsettle some of the taken-for-granted Euro-North American humanist and enlightenment ideologies that arguably underpin the UNESCO project. Whilst research into the distances between the discourses of World Heritage, the experiences of local stakeholders, and local subjects is not new, this volume offers an original take on the extant literature through its very intimate portrayals of local subjects. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (JRAI)
This volume makes a significant contribution to what the editors call a comprehensive understanding of the social environment of World Heritage properties (p. 28) or what more simply might be called World Heritage anthropology. This book will be an essential reference for anyone interested in World Heritage issues. Anthropological Notebooks
What strikes the reader in all chapters is the richness of detail, the diversity of issues and contested perspectives revealed by ethnographic detail. Particularly valuable are studies that allow for exploring changing dynamics over time. The book demonstrates the diversity of actors and issues involved in some respects offering a reality check, which is direly needed also in heritage policy deliberations. World heritage, the chapters teach us, is much more than a universal endeavour, and we need to take this diversity of issues and heritage processes seriously. Not all is harmonious in the realm of world heritage, and the volume offers important ethnographic insights as well as new theoretical avenues for heritage studies and policy makers at large. International Journal of Heritage Studies
The volume contributes an invaluable ethnographic perspective that illustrates a fundamental flaw in world heritage from its inception, that is, the tendency to highlight Western high culture over other cultures and non-Western achievements and natural wonders. Journal of Heritage Management
This work edited by Christoph Brumann and David Berliner delivers what it promises, that is, a skilfull bringing-together of two equally legitimate approaches: a top-down one, which investigates UNESCOs World Heritage Program as a global institution, and a grassroots one, which seeks for local applications and implications of patrimonial decisions taken up there. Martor. The Museum of the Romanian Peasant Anthropology Review
[ This volume] is offering what it promises, meaning a perfect articulation of two equally legitimate approaches: a top-down one, investigating UNESCOs World Heritage as a global institution, and a grass-roots one, searching for local applications and implications of patrimonial decisions taken up-there. Anuac Journal
This is a fascinating volume whose contributions analyze, highly critically for the most part, various aspects of the effects of World Heritage nominations. It enables new insights into the problematic nature of World Heritage and shows in what way different interest groups for different reasons get involved in World Heritage locations, be it out of nostalgia, financial interests, political opportunism or as location for religious activities. Sociologus
The anthology presents case studies not only useful for furthering the field of heritage studies, but also for opening up the field of heritage to the anthropology of international institutions. Heritage & Society
This strong new collection of essays on World Heritage sites illustrates the point well, that what institutions intend or believe, and what governments claim, are often not what we observe in practice. Anthropology Review Database
This is one of the most important current books in cultural heritage studies to date, a must-read so engrossing and compelling that it is truly a page-turner. Its greatest strength is the evidence each author provides of the value of ethnography in this field. If only UNESCOs World Heritage bureaucracy, the affiliated States Parties representatives, and national heritage authorities would read it and be moved to pursue greater equity for the local stakeholders whose needs are clearly legitimate yet rarely accommodated. American Ethnologist
This is a useful volume, providing much needed case studies while remaining clearly focused and thought provoking. Marie Louise Stig Sorensen, Division of Archaeology, University of Cambridge
This volume will be appreciated for its rich case studies, which develop a comparative understanding of heritage impactsa crucial task for the interdisciplinary field of heritage studies. Regina F. Bendix, European Ethnology, University of Göttingen
International experts and national representatives hold the most sway in defining World Heritage sites and their likely social impact. This book focuses precisely on how such definitions of heritage are objectified and circulate in public usage. Michael Rowlands, Department of Anthropology, University College London
