From Language Revitalization to Digital Replication

Abstract

Abstract This chapter argues that conservation practices that are participatory and situated are best positioned to allow individuals and communities to confront change on their own terms. Building on the argument from the previous chapter, which argued that conservation should aim to empower individuals and communities to confront change on terms they can accept, this chapter surveys conservation cases from a wide range of contexts in order to illustrate how such conservation practices can generate distinctive participatory goods. The ability of community members to participate in conservation also shapes our understanding of what kinds of things are authentic and how authenticity can be maintained. The chapter considers both familiar cases of material conservation as well as novel forms of digital preservation and replication.