In this episode, I speak with Professor Lynn Meskell about the history, politics, and future of the UNESCO World Heritage Program. We also talk about her new book, A Future in Ruins: UNESCO, World Heritage, and the Dream of Peace (Oxford 2018).

Dr. Meskell is Professor Archaeology at Stanford University. She has a long list of accolades and research experience in the field of archaeology. He has received honorary doctorates and is widely published.

Her book, while written for an academic audience, is insightful and should be read by any self-proclaimed enthusiast of UNESCO World Heritage sites and history lovers alike. It is based on deep archival research and uses examples of actual UNESCO campaigns as anecdotes to illustrate her arguments.

Links from the show

* The Book, A Future in Ruins: UNESCO, World Heritage, and the Dream of Peace: https://amzn.to/2K8vXWA* UNESCO World Heritage Statistics: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/stat/* A Lecture by Professor Meskell on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b6T_r80KK0&t=90s

More about Dr. Lynn Meskell

* Lynn Meskell's Homepage at Stanford: https://anthropology.stanford.edu/people/lynn-meskell* Stanford University Interview of Dr. Meskell: https://news.stanford.edu/2018/11/19/stanford-scholar-examines-unescos-world-heritage-program/

Transcript (Click to Expand)

Jeremy Bassetti

This is Jeremy Bassetti. And you're listening to All Over The Place, a podcast on travel, culture, and the creative life. Today's episode brings us to Stanford, California, where I speak with Professor Lynn Meskell about the history, politics and feature of the UNESCO World Heritage program. Dr. Meskell is Professor of Archaeology at Stanford University, and has a long list of accolades, including being the recipient of an honorary doctorate at the American University in Rome.

Jeremy Bassetti

But first, a little bit of housekeeping.

Jeremy Bassetti

Okay, so I'm back and rested after having taken 20, twenty-year-olds to Italy for a few weeks. Needless to say, I'm excited to get back in the studio recording more conversations. So keep your eyes open for new episodes that will be arriving in your podcasting app. The podcast has reached a milestone of sorts. Our 10 episodes so far have been downloaded and listened to by hundreds of listeners from around the world. Thank you very much. But if you find the show interesting, you can help spread the word by leaving a positive review on iTunes and your Apple Podcasting app or in whatever podcasting app you use. Reviews are really helpful in getting more ears and eyes on the program. As a way to say thanks, I have a handful of All Over The Place Podcast stickers that I would like to send you completely free of charge, including shipping, to wherever you are in the world. I don't have very many to send though, so, first come first serve. Visit travelwritingworld.com/stickers to sign up. And speaking of which, the All Over the Place Podcast website has undergone slight redesign. If this type of thing interests you. Feel free to go check that out.