Paper short abstract:

This paper approaches in situ archaeological conservation as a form of expert knowledge, also using Foucault’s notion of ‘archaeology’ to examine the traces of the past in the present to provide more historically nuanced accounts of the international networks which shape heritage expertise and practice.

Paper long abstract:

This paper approaches in situ archaeological conservation as a form of expert knowledge, while also using Foucault's notion of 'archaeology' as a means of examining the traces of the past in the present to provide a more historical and ethnographic account of the international networks and transnational flows which shape heritage expertise and practice.

The 1990s saw the development of international charters which focus on in situ conservation as the key determinant of authenticity in archaeological sites conservation, however this period also saw the proliferation of local forms of heritage, embedded within complex local/global political economies. I take as my case study heritage conservation in the postcolonial context, looking at examples of conservation knowledge networks in the Pacific Rim region. Conventional accounts of the development of international heritage management standards tend to explain the growing use of conservation in situ around the globe as evidence of the maturing of non-European nations into more 'modern', more culturally sophisticated, international citizens. This history is also often understood as driven by the gradual uptake of international heritage doctrine as these nations come to value their heritage. While international heritage doctrine, such as the ICOMOS Charter for the Protection and Management of the Archaeological Heritage, undoubtedly has a significant impact, seeing it as an external driver for this kind of heritage-making in the settler world reinforces a Eurocentric framework for the measurement of cultural and economic sophistication, and does little to reveal the more interesting histories of national and transnational cultural politics in which these processes are entangled.