Survival of heritage in Majuli in the context of climate change

Globalisation and its attendant consequences have had a major impact on the traditions and cultural heritage of communities across the world. The flow of global and regional capital into redevelopment projects and the inevitable turn of climate-related disasters and natural hazards including the increased political instability have all impacted the preservation and conservation of cultural heritage. At the same time, gradual erosion and destruction of heritage have far reaching consequences on the sustainability of communities both in the developed and developing world. Culture, therefore, matters when engaging with international development. In this chapter, an attempt will be made to interrogate the ideas and perspectives emanating from cultural heritage in meeting the global demands of sustainable developmental goals (SDGs). This will help enable a perspective toward shared prosperity, humanity, respect and dignity in a rapidly polarised multipolar world. Drawing upon data from the field studies conducted in Majuli this paper makes a case for decolonising heritage management and highlights the challenges faced by cultural heritage centres as a result of the inexorable march of climate change.