Heritage and Ethics

In this opening and introductory chapter, we explore some of the core concepts of heritage ethics to provide a foundation for the chapters that follow. We examine both the definitions of heritage ethics, how they have been applied over time, and how they shape heritage practice. The emphasis on people, places and things, and the complex interrelationships between them, make the ethical landscape a challenging one, and exploring these complex interrelationships forms the main focus of this chapter. The chapters that follow this introduction provide additional perspectives and examples. This chapter concludes with a summary of the Handbook’s content, describing the book structure and its purpose.