The thrive for a new heritage ethos in Peru?: The Qhapaq Ñan’s policymaking and the ethics of community participation

Peru's Qhapaq Ñan Project, an Inca road system inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sparked a transformative shift in heritage policymaking by embedding community participation at its core. This study reveals how Peruvian heritage specialists actively redefined their ethical commitments, crafting a participatory framework that transcended passive compliance with international guidelines. Despite legal and ideological constraints, the project integrated formal regulations with informal practices—such as consultation, collaboration, and benefit-sharing—to challenge traditional material-focused paradigms. The research demonstrates that this approach was not merely procedural but an assertive ethical stance, reshaping heritage values and practices in Peru.

Uribe-Chinen, C. (2024). The thrive for a new heritage ethos in Peru?: The Qhapaq Ñan’s policymaking and the ethics of community participation. International Journal of Cultural Property, 31(3), 278–298. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0940739124000274