نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
Today, the importance and position of cultural heritage and its cultural, social, economic, and political functions are undeniable. It is due to this significance and fundamental impacts that various societies strive to preserve and promote their cultural heritage. Cultural heritage is also one of the most important and essential pillars of identity formation, cohesion, and national self-confidence in any country. Countries with this foundation enjoy high stature and respect in international forums. Iran, with its rich historical and cultural background, houses a vast heritage, making research in the field of cultural heritage in Iran even more necessary. Given this, the protection of cultural heritage is crucial, and in this context, establishing appropriate laws, planning, and taking proper actions to build a present and future based on historical experiences is an unavoidable necessity. Therefore, understanding the current situation of cultural heritage in Iran and seeking suitable policies for the future is the aim of this research. For this purpose, the current state of cultural heritage protection needs to be examined so that strategies can be developed based on this assessment. It is important to note that in this study, “protection” refers to safeguarding the “Iranian identity” of cultural heritage, rather than its “material form.” Achieving this goal requires attention and policy-making from cultural managers at the national level so that these policies can prevent interference, appropriation, or even claims of ownership over Iran’s cultural heritage by other countries. Additionally, this study specifically focuses on a type of cultural heritage referred to as “documentary and written heritage.”
Documentary heritage, which gained global attention after the establishment of the “Memory of the World Programme” by UNESCO in 1992, symbolizes the cultural identity of various nations, forms an important part of national memory, reflects each nation’s contribution to shaping different periods of human civilization, and is a central subject of the Memory of the World Programme. In this program, works that have national, regional, and global significance and meet one or more criteria related to time, place, individuals, theme, form, style, and social or spiritual importance are registered in national, regional, and global lists. The reality is that registering works in the Memory of the World list significantly enhances the status of a heritage. This registration raises awareness among governments, NGOs, foundations, and the general public about the importance of their heritage and increases expert attention to a work from various perspectives, including both its content and its preservation quality. Many universities and research institutions have become sensitive to this and strive for the longevity of these works. Furthermore, World Heritage works are promoted globally in books and UNESCO catalogs. These factors have led different countries to adopt regular and targeted policies to register their documentary heritage in the UNESCO Memory of the World programme, using it as a tool for soft power in their international relations. However, in Iran despite its rich heritage resources-the necessity of such actions has not yet been seriously recognized, and if there is any awareness, it mostly comes from the public and civil society organizations. The written heritage in this research refers to manuscripts, books, journals, and maps, which constitute a significant part of Iran’s cultural, artistic, and scientific identity, or in other words, part of the historical memory of this country.
Methodology: To understand the current state of cultural heritage in the country, the study used a content analysis approach of higher-level documents (including the Constitution, Vision Document, Cultural Policy Principles Document, and Five-Year Economic, Social, and Cultural Development Plans of the Islamic Republic of Iran) and interviews with 10 experts in the field. After analyzing the content of the documents and interviews, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing the Islamic Republic of Iran in cultural heritage protection (documentary and written) were identified. Finally, based on the findings, strategic frameworks were developed using the SWOT method. According to this method, the appropriate strategy is one that maximizes strengths and opportunities and minimizes weaknesses and threats. To this end, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats are linked in four general categories: ST, WT, SO, and WO, from which strategic options are selected.
Findings: Based on the results, 40 strategic frameworks were developed, categorized into four main areas: “Cultural Policy and Management,” “Cultural Institutions and Organizations,” “Social Awareness,” and “National Identity.”
Conclusion: The results indicate that the opportunities and threats facing the Islamic Republic of Iran in the protection of cultural heritage are in balance, and Iran’s cultural heritage is primarily at risk due to internal strategic factors.
کلیدواژهها English
