Andres S. Dobat

The sustainable management of cultural heritage, in its immense diversity of forms is a major challenge for present and future generations. Worldwide, cultural heritage monuments, sites and landscapes are increasingly recognized and valued as social and economic resources. Cultural heritage will be a central factor of future global development and capacity building, as a catalyst for social cohesion and new forms of national consciousness and identity, as a medium of conflict resolution or as economically viable asset in terms of tourism.

At the same time, cultural heritage in many regions are acutely endangered. All over the world, important elements of human culture are vanishing at a hitherto unforeseen rate due to of industrial economic interests, growing urbanisation, social and political instability or military conflicts.

In light of these facts, the management of cultural heritage has become not only a necessity for the preservation of important elements of human culture, but also a relevant resource and potential medium for sustainable international development.

The growing awareness of the significance and value of cultural heritage as an important future resource has created a demand for research and educational initiatives in this field. The challenges are manifold, with the major tasks being investigation, protection, knowledge dissemination and development. Aarhus University’s ‘Sustainable Cultural Heritage Management’ program meets the global demand on this broad and increasingly important field. The study-program aims to attract candidates on a global scale, especially from developing and newly industrialized countries. Rooting in the interdisciplinary environment of AU, the program will provide candidates with the competence needed to meet the challenges of cultural heritage management, combining an academic framework with the necessary practical know-how to tackle the many future challenges of cultural heritage management throughout the world.

The program mirrors the diversity of cultural heritage management on a global scale and themes include:

• Cultural heritage as a social resource (tourism industry, experience economy)
• Cooperation with national and international organizations, national authorities, private representatives
• Fundraising on international and national levels
• Strategy design for the protection, investigation, presentation and development of heritage monuments, buildings, sites and landscapes.
• Integration of local communities in cultural heritage management initiatives.
• Concepts for sustainable cultural and heritage tourism
• Museum exhibitions
• Cultural heritage and social/political conflicts
• Heritage management and other economic interests
• Interpreting and explaining material culture and to contribute to the allocation of an academic framework and the necessary practical skills to apply cultural heritage management as a tool for sustainable development.