Universal heritage value, community identities and world heritage: forms, functions, processes and context at a changing Mt Fuji

Abstract

Numerous international documents underline the high identity value of cultural heritage for local communities and its potential for sustainable development. Simultaneously, the inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage List depends on the outstanding universal value that presumes a global community and prioritises global heritage value before the local ones. This setup holds potential tension. This paper discusses how to define heritage communities and access their heritage identities, differentiating between landscape forms, functions, processes and context. The case study of Mt Fuji World Heritage is used to illustrate the model. While global and national communities emphasise the form of the heritage and policies target the preservation of the present visual shape, the local and religious communities identify with the functions and practices embodied by the sites. Not all communities identify with the proposed interpretative context for Mt Fuji heritage value. Additional tension arises from the Eurocentric mind-set behind world heritage expertise.