Competing stakeholder discourses in constructing cultural heritage: The legal case of the house at No. 98 Hai’er Lane, China

Abstract In the process of urbanization, the balance and/or conflict between the conservation, development, and utilization of cultural heritage has become an emergent theme. This paper explores how such a theme is manifested through discourse by analyzing the legal case of the house at No. 98, Hai’...

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Main Authors: Zhonghua Wu, Jian Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2024-12-01
Series:Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04273-x
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author Zhonghua Wu
Jian Li
author_facet Zhonghua Wu
Jian Li
author_sort Zhonghua Wu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract In the process of urbanization, the balance and/or conflict between the conservation, development, and utilization of cultural heritage has become an emergent theme. This paper explores how such a theme is manifested through discourse by analyzing the legal case of the house at No. 98, Hai’er Lane, China, which is entangled with multiple narratives of the local community, various levels of courts, and government agencies regarding the value of this site. While the contested nature of discourses lies in the power asymmetry, there is some space to pose a challenge against the dominant discourse, e.g., adopting a multi-stakeholder approach to mediate various interests of stakeholders. Besides, disputes over heritage protection and promotion need to be understood within the dominant discourses of their time. Based on such understandings, cultural heritage, if taken as a social sign, particularly for its identification and conservation, may be subject to different constructions by sign users as society progresses. Considering that heritage protection law in China places a greater emphasis on taking cultural heritage as things than orientating cultural heritage to humans, it is desirable to address intricate tensions between the conservation, development, and utilization of cultural heritage by promulgating more systematic and explicit laws and regulations that better reflect the heteroglossia of stakeholders.
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spelling doaj-art-8ed2b5ccbb284b0dac221150f2a3239a2025-02-09T12:25:28ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922024-12-0111111010.1057/s41599-024-04273-xCompeting stakeholder discourses in constructing cultural heritage: The legal case of the house at No. 98 Hai’er Lane, ChinaZhonghua Wu0Jian Li1School of Foreign Languages, Hangzhou City UniversitySchool of Foreign Languages, Zhejiang Gongshang UniversityAbstract In the process of urbanization, the balance and/or conflict between the conservation, development, and utilization of cultural heritage has become an emergent theme. This paper explores how such a theme is manifested through discourse by analyzing the legal case of the house at No. 98, Hai’er Lane, China, which is entangled with multiple narratives of the local community, various levels of courts, and government agencies regarding the value of this site. While the contested nature of discourses lies in the power asymmetry, there is some space to pose a challenge against the dominant discourse, e.g., adopting a multi-stakeholder approach to mediate various interests of stakeholders. Besides, disputes over heritage protection and promotion need to be understood within the dominant discourses of their time. Based on such understandings, cultural heritage, if taken as a social sign, particularly for its identification and conservation, may be subject to different constructions by sign users as society progresses. Considering that heritage protection law in China places a greater emphasis on taking cultural heritage as things than orientating cultural heritage to humans, it is desirable to address intricate tensions between the conservation, development, and utilization of cultural heritage by promulgating more systematic and explicit laws and regulations that better reflect the heteroglossia of stakeholders.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04273-x
spellingShingle Zhonghua Wu
Jian Li
Competing stakeholder discourses in constructing cultural heritage: The legal case of the house at No. 98 Hai’er Lane, China
Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
title Competing stakeholder discourses in constructing cultural heritage: The legal case of the house at No. 98 Hai’er Lane, China
title_full Competing stakeholder discourses in constructing cultural heritage: The legal case of the house at No. 98 Hai’er Lane, China
title_fullStr Competing stakeholder discourses in constructing cultural heritage: The legal case of the house at No. 98 Hai’er Lane, China
title_full_unstemmed Competing stakeholder discourses in constructing cultural heritage: The legal case of the house at No. 98 Hai’er Lane, China
title_short Competing stakeholder discourses in constructing cultural heritage: The legal case of the house at No. 98 Hai’er Lane, China
title_sort competing stakeholder discourses in constructing cultural heritage the legal case of the house at no 98 hai er lane china
url https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04273-x
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