Paper short abstract:

I will focus on those heritage movements that defy dehumanising and the inhumane in contemporary presents. Dignity promotes an egaliatraian ethos where a populist zeal counters exploitation of the right to identify and preserve a s ense of permanence.

Paper long abstract:

I will focus on those heritage movements that defy dehumanising and the inhumane in contemporary presents. Relevant to the original 'right to a traditional way of life', heritage is egalitarian where a populist zeal for its protection counters the top down interventionism of state protection . For example ,there is a more global trend at present towards creating a new norm for the protection of cultural heritage in conditions of armed conflict. Museums and other cultural spaces are frequently cited as opportunities for inter cultural dialogue promoting civic responses to protecting heritage. Such initiatives tend to come from those theorising new forms of governance , encouraging the diversification of the Responsibility to Protect (Rp2) doctrine. I take the view that without starting with a more basic understanding of what people wish to protect in given circumstances of maintaining a human way of life, challenging the inhumane, such interventions are guided more by the goals of global collaboration and creating universal norms. What role museums or other cultural spaces may have here is an empirical matter based on what exists in given circumstances,by establishing their local relevance .