10.2 |  Integrity

10.2 | Integrity

The journal Change Over Time: An International Journal of Conservation and the Built Environment, published by the University of Pennsylvania Press, invites submissions for 10.2 Integrity

10.2 |  Integrity | Guest Editor: Jukka Jokilehto

The concept of “integrity” is central to the organizing principles and values of heritage conservation and is frequently evoked in international charters, conventions, and official recommendations. Generally speaking, integrity refers to the wholeness or intactness of a tangible object, place, or property and is a measure by which UNESCO determines the Outstanding Universal Value of a site.[1] As a guiding principle of conservation practice, the concept of integrity has evolved from 19th century ideas of the artist’s intent, which located integrity in a moment in time (Viollet le Duc), to 21st century framings of integrity as an emergent condition as proposed by the 2005 Faro Framework Convention which suggests that integrity is neither fixed nor static but is understood through a process of interpreting, respecting, and negotiating complex, and at times, contentious values.

The elaboration of integrity has developed in tandem with the expanding scope of heritage from individual monuments to more complex assemblages that defy singular synchronic definitions of form and significance. Heritage today includes urban, cultural, and vernacular landscapes that necessitate an understanding of the inextricable relationship between the built environment, cultural context, and intangible values and thus requires both a more nuanced and versatile assessment of integrity. While UNESCO and ICOMOS offer general guidance on assessing integrity, it is clear that integrity is a relational concept. As a result, despite its primacy of place within conservation discourse and practice, the precise definition of the term remains somewhat elusive.

This issue of Change Over Time examines the core concept of “integrity” amidst evolving understandings of heritage and heritage conservation practice. It raises questions such as: How should integrity be assessed and interpreted for complex assemblages subject to multiple competing forces, as seen in cases of forced-migration, development, conflict, and climate change? What is an operating definition of integrity for archaeological sites whose conditions have dramatically changed due to damage incurred by the violent conflicts of terrorism or war, like the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria? How does integrity apply to cultural landscapes, such as coastal settlements, that are vulnerable to rising tides and extreme weather events, which not only threaten to alter the physical landscape, but may also disrupt traditional practices reliant upon delicate ecosystems? And how can the concept of integrity be understood and applied to historic urban areas such as Cairo, Delhi, and Shanghai that are experiencing rapid growth and development and attendant demographic change?

We welcome contributions from a range of contexts that both challenge operational concepts of integrity and demonstrate practical, actual, and inclusive approaches. Submissions may include, but are not limited to, case studies, theoretical explorations, and evaluations of current practices or policy programs.

Abstracts of 200-300 words are due 5 June 2020. Authors will be notified of provisional paper acceptance by early July 2017. Final manuscript submissions will be due 3 January 2021.

Submission

Articles are generally restricted to 7,500 or fewer words (the approximate equivalent to thirty pages of double-spaced, twelve-point type) and may include up to ten images. See Author Guidelines for full details at cotjournal.com, or email Managing Editor, Kecia Fong at cot@design.upenn.edu for further information.


[1] UNESCO’s criteria for selection do not define integrity, though it is noted that “the protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important considerations.” UNESCO. “The Criteria for Selection,” accessed February 14, 2020, https://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/

[2] ICOMOS defines integrity as a measure of the overall coherence and the wholeness and intactness of the property and its attributes. “Glossary,” International Council on Monuments and Sites, accessed January 22, 2020, https://www.icomos.org/en/2016-11-10-13-53-13/icomos-and-the-world-heritage-convention-4#integrity.

[3] While ICOMOS and UNESCO stress the wholeness of a property, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) states that integrity is “the ability of the property to convey significance through physical features and context.”