via Australasian Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 2023: A new project by Natali Pearson focuses on the diplomatic implications of maritime war heritage in Southeast Asia, particularly sunken warships, through the lens of heritage diplomacy. It aims to understand the diplomatic value and consequences of these heritage sites, which are intertwined with issues of sovereignty, colonial legacies, and contemporary international relations. The project, employing six case studies from Australia, the USA, and Britain in Timor-Leste, Indonesia, and Malaysia, explores the complex relationships and potential diplomatic consequences surrounding these underwater relics.
This article introduces a new project that examines the politics of maritime war heritage in a region of significant geopolitical complexity and strategic importance for Australia and the world. Focusing on sunken warships in Southeast Asia, the project advances the idea that the emerging concept of heritage diplomacy can be used as an analytical tool for understanding the diplomatic value and consequences of difficult maritime heritage. In doing so, it engages not only with issues of sovereignty, ownership, and responsibility but also with the complexities of submerged heritage, the legacies of colonialism and conflict, and the impact on contemporary international relations. The project employs six case studies—from the flag states of Australia, the United States of America and Britain, and located in the coastal states of Timor-Leste, Indonesia and Malaysia respectively—which all meet a threshold requirement of relevance as sites around which historical events and contemporary issues coalesce. In its recognition of the role of sunken warships in international relations and heritage governance in the 21st century, this article proposes a new way of conceptualising maritime heritage that goes beyond the paradigm of preservation and protection and instead interrogates the potential diplomatic value and consequences of these submerged sites. The significance of this project lies in its potential to contribute to the optimisation of heritage policies and outcomes not only in neighbouring Southeast Asia but worldwide.
Source: Australasian Journal of Maritime Archaeology, vol. 47 (2023)
