From protection to participation? Archaeology and the shifting rationalities of heritage governance in Peru

Abstract

International heritage agendas increasingly promote community participation, cultural landscapes and inclusive governance as central principles for heritage management. In Peru, however, these approaches have entered an institutional system historically shaped around archaeological protection, expert authority and state regulation. This presentation examines the tensions that emerge when new participatory heritage rationalities encounter an archaeological governance framework originally designed to identify, protect and administer archaeological remains rather than facilitate collaborative forms of decision-making. I argue that these tensions should not be understood simply as shortcomings in policy implementation, but as the coexistence of distinct governmental rationalities. While UNESCO-inspired approaches seek to reposition communities as active participants in heritage-making, the institutional technologies through which the Peruvian state governs archaeological heritage—including legal frameworks, inventories, technical assessments, archaeological interventions and bureaucratic procedures—continue to operate largely within an earlier logic centred on expert knowledge and state stewardship.
Drawing on the historical development of archaeological heritage governance in Peru and on recent policy transformations surrounding the Qhapaq Ñan World Heritage programme, this presentation explores how participatory agendas are translated, negotiated and reconfigured within existing institutional arrangements. It suggests that understanding these dynamics requires moving beyond implementation narratives to examine the relationship between changing heritage rationalities and the administrative technologies through which they are enacted. By doing so, the presentation contributes to broader debates on heritage governance by showing how global participatory paradigms are mediated through historically embedded state institutions rather than simply adopted or resisted.
 

About the Presenter

Dr. Claudia Uribe-Chinen is an archaeologist specializing in public archaeology and critical heritage studies. Her research explores heritage governance, archaeological ethics, and the politics of heritage-making in the Andes, with particular attention to how archaeological practices shape heritage values, community engagement, and relationships with the past. She holds a PhD in Heritage Studies from the University of Tsukuba, Japan (2023). She is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Humanities at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) and Curator of the Museo de Arqueología Josefina Ramos de Cox (IRA-PUCP).