Theoretical underpinnings of conservation in India

Resumen

Paul Philippot, in his excellent piece, shares critical views on the notion of authenticity in cultural heritage as understood and applied in the Western context. His paper provides a brief background to the philosophical approaches to conservation and the ideological and cultural specificities that underpin these approaches.

The following paper builds upon this critical understanding of authenticity’, and examines this rather complex and elusive concept within the Indian cultural context. The paper argues that interpretation of history and conservation of heritage are articulated by cultural responses to time and space, and therefore vary from culture to culture and within the same culture.