유네스코 갈등기억유산 OUV(vi)의 윤리적 해석과 의의 –레비나스의 윤리학과 아우슈비츠 비르케나우를 중심으로

Abstract

This study explores how the twentieth century’s sites of trauma and conflict have been transformed into heritage, creating a future-oriented meaning based on ethical relations. Drawing on Emmanuel Levinas’s ethics as a theoretical framework, the research focuses on Auschwitz Birkenau as a representative site of tragedy. The process of heritagization is discussed within the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage system. As the body granting the status of World Heritage, the World Heritage Committee has, since 2018, examined the inscription of “Sites of Memory associated with Recent Conflicts,” where differing views among stakeholders have revealed tensions surrounding the concept of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and related criteria. In 2023, UNESCO introduced the Guiding Principles to address issues such as political neutrality and the challenges of comparative evaluation. For empirical analysis, this study compares the OUV statements of Auschwitz Birkenau (inscribed in 1979) and the Cambodian Memorial Sites (approved in 2025). A review of the Brief Synthesis and Criteria sections shows that the Cambodian statement explicitly includes ethical and forward-looking terms such as “peaceful coexistence,” “justice,” and “reflection,” extending the relational meaning of heritage beyond the preservation of “memory” emphasized in Auschwitz Birkenau. The study also identifies the need for further discussion on refining UNESCO’s evaluation criteria and preventing the misinterpretation that may arise from oversimplified moral lessons.