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Bridging cultural heritage and present
Associate Professor Mayumi Okada of the Center for Advanced Tourism Studies is introducing a new perspective to the realm of heritage studies in Japan. With a different take on historical studies, Professor Okada is elaborating upon “Public Archeology”, a field that examines the relationship between archaeology and the public, and then seeks to improve it. Although it was conceived as a way to have the public interact with archeology, contentions often occur due to differences in perspective.
Mayumi Okada at the archaeological site in Israel.
“Every time I am at an excavation site, I encounter various perspectives on the local heritage from different stakeholders: from people who are considerate of the local people’s pride, people who are seeing the site as a tourism resource, and even those who have no idea about the archaeology as well as heritage.”