Overview

Full Product Details

9781648891663

Table of Contents

Reviews

The work proposes a modified version of Smith's 'Authorised Heritage Discourse' (AHD; Smith 2006) called the 'Authorised Dictatorial Discourse (ADD)' which is deemed to be more suitable for territories where dictatorial rule determined heritage policy. Arguing convincingly that since the AHD model was developed in the context of liberal Western democracies (especially the USA, Britain and Australia) the AHD model fails to take sufficiently into account the dominant role of a single all-powerful ruler in determining what should be considered heritage and its treatment. As a result some aspects of the AHD model - such as the capacity for alternative subaltern discourses to emerge -do not apply where dictatorship is the system of rule. The book uses South Korea's dictators in the post-second World War period as a case study to explore and develop this idea. It reveals the close personal interest of specific dictators in focusing upon and promoting certain sites as Korean national heritage which government agencies and the public at large were expected to accept. The argument is strong and convincing, drawing upon appropriate sources and analysing them effectively. The author compares Korea to other states where dictatorships ruled such as Fascist Italy --and uses them usefully as a means of identifying the key aspects of a dictatorship system of rule while at the same time being aware of key differences. This also provides the basis for a valuable consideration of the ADD model and its application to other dictatorial contexts. The closing section offers the suggestion of a range of types of AHD for different political contexts - 'softer' AHDs in liberal states, 'harder' AHDs where more oppressive rule is in place. Dr John Carman University of Birmingham

The work proposes a modified version of Smith's 'Authorised Heritage Discourse' (AHD; Smith 2006) called the 'Authorised Dictatorial Discourse (ADD)' which is deemed to be more suitable for territories where dictatorial rule determined heritage policy. Arguing convincingly that since the AHD model was developed in the context of liberal Western democracies (especially the USA, Britain and Australia) the AHD model fails to take sufficiently into account the dominant role of a single all-powerful ruler in determining what should be considered heritage and its treatment. As a result some aspects of the AHD model - such as the capacity for alternative subaltern discourses to emerge -do not apply where dictatorship is the system of rule. The book uses South Korea's dictators in the post-second World War period as a case study to explore and develop this idea. It reveals the close personal interest of specific dictators in focusing upon and promoting certain sites as Korean national heritage which government agencies and the public at large were expected to accept. The argument is strong and convincing, drawing upon appropriate sources and analysing them effectively. The author compares Korea to other states where dictatorships ruled such as Fascist Italy --and uses them usefully as a means of identifying the key aspects of a dictatorship system of rule while at the same time being aware of key differences. This also provides the basis for a valuable consideration of the ADD model and its application to other dictatorial contexts. The closing section offers the suggestion of a range of types of AHD for different political contexts - 'softer' AHDs in liberal states, 'harder' AHDs where more oppressive rule is in place. Dr John Carman University of Birmingham

Author Information

Minjae Zoh was awarded her PhD in Heritage Studies from the University of Cambridge in 2019. Her doctoral dissertation investigated the relationship between dictatorship and heritage, particularly how a 'dictatorial discourse' is implemented during dictatorial regimes. Prior to undertaking her PhD research, Zoh carried out her Bachelors' and Masters' degrees in Archaeology and Public Archaeology, respectively, at the University College London. Currently, Minjae is affiliated with the Seoul National University Museum in Korea and is involved in various UNESCO-related projects. She is presently elaborating on her PhD research by re-evaluating heritage sites in Korea that became affected by the Authorised Dictatorial Discourse.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available