Antarctic Heritage: whose perspective counts?

The management of heritage in Antarctica is dictated by a framework codified within the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) with sites listed on the official Historic Sites and Monuments list. To assume that the conceptualisation of heritage embodied within this document is unanimously accepted, however, is problematic. A 'hierarchy of heritages' that sees one approach enshrined in international law over others is suspected, but whose perspective is it? It is tempting to consider Antarctica as exceptional or 'a place apart', however, it is not exempt from the social, cultural and political forces active elsewhere throughout the globe and neither is its heritage. By exposing the current conceptualisation of Antarctic heritage, the need for a more robust and inclusive heritage management framework for the region becomes evident. Antarctic heritage may quite literally be frozen in time, however, criticism of how it is conceived and consequently managed should not be.