The cultural dynamics of conservation principles in reported practice

Abstract

Conservation is a cultural phenomenon open to analysis using cultural theory. This chapter analyses conservation as both a social and a technical practice involving interactions between people and objects mediated by language. The application and interpretation of conservation principles are analysed by reference to three recent accounts (published in The Object in Context: Crossing Conservation Boundaries, IIC Munich Congress 2006) which provide a basis for analysing the rhetoric and reported practice of conservation. The dialectic between written principles and reported practice reveals their mutual influence. The meanings, use and effect of principles, e.g. in influencing notions of integrity, are discussed. Principles are shown to be culturally bound rather than ideologically neutral