Beyond the Waters’ Edge: Complexity and Conservation Management of Underwater Cultural Heritage by Public Agencies in North Carolina.

Summary

Since the 1980s, heritage conservation has expanded in scope and complexity beyond just concern with technical preservation of tangible remains to also preserve intangible aspects. More than one conservation strategy may be possible but could have very different consequences for use of remains in the present and future. In many countries, those responsible for deciding which strategy to take are managers employed in public agencies. Understanding the nature of the system in which management decisions are made is crucial for effective conservation. Since the 1990s, a number of researchers in other fields have investigated public management from the perspective of complexity theory including public projects as dynamical and complex adaptive systems. This paper reports on PhD dissertation research being undertaken at East Carolina University by the author to understand the nature and complexity of the system within which management of conservation of underwater cultural heritage takes place in North Carolina.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Managing Underwater Cultural Heritage: Navigating the Natural Hazards, the Man-Made Hazards, and the Red Tape   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2015

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 240