Economic Rights, Heritage Sites and Communities: Sustainability and Protection

Abstract

Recent studies have widely discussed cultural heritage and property rights, rights to knowledge for indigenous and local communities, human rights in relation to cultural heritage, as well as impact of tourism on local communities and sustainable development through cultural heritage and past materials. This paper raises the ethical issues of economic income from cultural heritage by addressing the issue of why local and indigenous communities should have the right to design their economic development and directly benefit through and from their local heritage. In this paper, I argue that, as part of their human rights, local and indigenous communities should have the right to decide how to develop and use their local heritage as an ‘economic resource’ and, furthermore, that the profit from heritage tourism (i.e., sites, museums) should return to local and indigenous communities. I will look at three archaeological/heritage sites and their associated local communities in Turkey in order to demonstrate the pitfalls of neglecting the communities’ rights to decide on local heritage and to directly benefit economically from the heritage sites. By using an economic rights-centered approach, I will address the potential benefits of acknowledging these aspects and offer sustainable solutions.