Women’s representation and participation in UNESCO heritage discourse

ABSTRACT

Gender equality represents one of the most challenging objectives in contemporary society and has become a priority for UNESCO (Medium-Term Strategy 2008–2013 and 2014–2021), as it is considered ‘an essential part of the equation for more inclusive and sustainable development’. However, in various World Heritage sites, women are still being marginalised from decisional processes concerning the identification and interpretation of the past and they are often underrepresented in the main narratives. Using the case study of the World Heritage Vineyard Landscape of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato (Italy), I explore how international and national documents frame gender equality in order to uncover underground power dynamics that risk undermining cultural representation and participation. Through the analysis of the interviews done with a group of local female wine producers, I compare heritage discourses with the perception women have of their contribution in the identity and heritage-building process. If dominant heritage discourses are characterised by a rather male-driven set of values, could lack of women’s representation influence the activation of their participation? Are women willing to participate in the management of a heritage which has not been recognised through their values and meanings? What kind of participation would they desire?

KEYWORDS:

• UNESCO
• World heritage
• gender
• representation
• participation

Acknowledgments

This article is based on my PhD research at the School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester. First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Lisanne Gibson, for her steady guidance and encouragement. Through hard work and compelling discussions, she provided invaluable direction and helped me envisioning ways to address this research. A special thanks to the women I met during my fieldwork and who shared their stories and perspectives with me. Finally, I would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive criticisms and suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. The masca was a sort of witch, a woman thought to have magic and healing powers. The popular understanding of these women was rather ambiguous: sometimes they were described as evil creatures, while other times they were perceived as positive characters.

2. The interviewees were given an ‘Information Sheet for Participants’ and were asked to sign a ‘Research Consent Form’. All gave me permission to use their words in connection with their real names and institution affiliation.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Elena Settimini

Dr Elena Settimini holds a PhD and an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester, as well as a MA in History of Art from the University of Turin (Italy). Her actual research problematises the definition of cultural participation in the context of living heritages, in particular of World Heritage cultural landscapes. In the last ten years she has been working in various Italian museums and she is heritage and museum consultant. She is Adjunct Professor for the MA in Museum Studies and Cultural Heritage Management at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan (Italy) and for the MA in Historical tailoring for pageant and performance, Fondazione Arte della Seta Lisio, Florence (Italy).