The Cultural Context in Sustainable Development: Approaches and Resources to Support the 4th Pillar

Jacoby, JoAnn

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/33784 Copy

Description

Title

The Cultural Context in Sustainable Development: Approaches and Resources to Support the 4th Pillar

Author(s)

Jacoby, JoAnn

Contributor(s)

Cooper, Liz

Issue Date

2012

Keyword(s)

development, scholarly needs, information behavior

Abstract

Sustainable development is often conceptualized as the interaction between three overlapping spheres: environment, economy and society. More recently, culture has been proposed to be an essential fourth pillar of sustainability (Hawkes 2001, UNESCO 2010). In this formulation, culture is a vital component of sustainability, “a powerful contributor to economic development, social stability and environmental protection. As a repository of knowledge, meanings and values that permeate all aspects of our lives, culture also defines the way human beings live and interact both at local and global scales” (UNESCO 2010). Cultural diversity is recognized as being just as essential to human well being as biological diversity is to a healthy environment. Sustaining the diversity of local cultures and lifeways has thus become an essential component—the 4th pillar—of sustainable development. At the same time, intangible heritage is increasingly recognized as an essential part of heritage management alongside natural heritage sites, monuments and other tangible manifestations of culture. In this paper, we explore the importance of the broader cultural context in sustainable heritage management and provide an overview of the information resources available in online and digital repositories that can help support a culturally-grounded approach. Gaps in the available resources will be highlighted in order to identify areas where cultural institutions should focus further efforts to develop these types of collections.

Publisher

Green Lines Institute

Type of Resource

text

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/33784

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