Paper long abstract:

World Heritage as stated by UNESCO must have an outstanding universal value. Nominated places, however, also have a multitude of local values and meanings, which are very often conflicting and contested. In Toraja society, which has a history of fierce inter-village competition and status rivalry among noble headmen, the nomination of several sites as Cultural Landscape is thus a culturally, politically and economically highly charged process. Local actors have well understood that the label of World Heritage is a powerful resource in this competitive society, as a certified outstanding universal value 'to all humanity' for your village is hard to beat. The local government hopes for a revival of tourism and aims at making culture marketable. This paper explores the strategic employment of global heritage discourses on the local level as well as the political and economic dynamics and transformation of values and meanings.