As the most ambitious study of the World Heritage arena so far, this volume dissects the inner workings of a prominent global body, demonstrating the power of ethnography in the highly formalised and diplomatic context of a multilateral organisation.

List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1. A Day in the Life of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee Chapter 2. The Promise of World Heritage Chapter 3. Fulfilling the Promise Chapter 4. Rebellion and Peace Chapter 5. The Nation State Chapter 6. Procedures Chapter 7. Concepts Chapter 8. Global North and South Conclusion: Utopian Remnants and the Logic of Growth References Index

“There are numerous scholarly articles or other publications on the subject, but The Best We Share …is a very special work. …Brumann… proves to be an excellent guide. …His analysis … is razor-sharp and illuminating for heritage care in general. … Unlike other authors … Brumann does not invoke romantic thoughts or heritage beliefs. … The book is easy to read and an inspiration for anyone involved in contemporary heritage care.” • Monumenten, Landschappen en Archeologie “The book is a real methodological guide, not only for the researchers working on this specific UNESCO programme, but also, and more generally, for those interested in an international organizational system.” • Critique Internationale “The book is extremely well informed, enriched by many observations and mad fascinating thanks to a subtle style, always paying tribute to existing publications even if it means contesting their perspectives or conclusions.” • L'Espace Géographique “Brumann’s richly textured monograph makes one feel the privileged observer of an international organisation’s inner workings, of what lies behind UNESCO’s powerful symbolic cachet. Taking the World Heritage Committee as a contested field site, he brings to light the very concreteness of heritage policies whilst, at the same time, identifying their globalising ambitions and globalised connections. A must read!” • David Berliner, Université Libre de Bruxelles “This excellent book, arguably the most authoritative analysis of the field to date, unpacks the political, legal, diplomatic and cultural dimensions of the World Heritage phenomenon in a lucid and even-handed way. Revealing the nuts and bolts of the struggle for a shared human identity, it shows us divided by a common past.” • Thomas Hylland Eriksen, University of Oslo “…a crucial reading for anthropologists observing ‘world-making’ though the exploration of international apparatuses shaping global governance. At the same time, it offers to political scientists an alternative perspective on topics such as the crisis of multilateralism or the persistence of North/South imbalances.” • Chiara Bortolotto, Institut interdisciplinaire d’anthropologie du contemporain at EHESS, Paris