The ethics and politics of world heritage: local application at the site of Laponia

A critical analysis reveals that the cosmopolitan protection logic of UNESCO World Heritage (WH) sites, while intending to promote universal values, can inadvertently suppress local disputes and marginalized voices. Focusing on Laponia—a Swedish WH site with Sami indigenous communities and active mining—research demonstrates inconsistencies between Sweden's global advocacy for human rights and its domestic support for mining, which threatens the cultural heritage and land rights of the Sami people. The study employs narrative analysis to expose these tensions, contrasting Sweden's 'good state' narrative with rarely heard Sami perspectives. This work contributes to understanding how indigenous peoples can assert their claims within the prevailing cosmopolitan framework of WH protection.

Bergman Rosamond, A. (2022). The ethics and politics of world heritage: local application at the site of Laponia. Journal of Global Ethics, 18(2), 286–305. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449626.2022.2071963