A Dialogue between the Humanities and Social Sciences: Cultural Landscapes and Their Transformative Potential for Social Innovation

Cultural landscapes, such as the UNESCO-listed Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, hold significant potential for fostering social innovation in rural regions. This interdisciplinary study demonstrates how integrating landscape semantics and participatory methodologies can address critical challenges like out-migration, unemployment, and aging populations. The research introduces the Social Grid Model to analyze social networks, institutions, and cognitive frames, alongside the Structured Democratic Dialogue, which revitalizes both 'active' and 'inactive' cultural landscapes by empowering local communities. Through case studies in Greece (Koumasa) and China (Honghe Hani Rice Terraces), the study illustrates how collective action can promote tangible and intangible heritage, offering a blueprint for sustainable rural development.

Panagiotopoulos, D., Wallenwein, F., Mildenberger, G., & Schimpf, G.-C. (2023). A Dialogue between the Humanities and Social Sciences: Cultural Landscapes and Their Transformative Potential for Social Innovation. Heritage, 6(12), 7674–7705. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6120404