From Rational Conservation to Pragmatic Conservation; The Practical Craft of TCHOGHAZANBIL WHS Conservation

Over the past sixty years, the mainstream of heritage conservation has been striving to reach a consensus and establish an optimal framework - the most effective approach for conservation - applicable in any scenario. It is alleged that this ultimate framework can be depicted in the form of conservation doctrines. In this article, we argue that the roots of this perspective on planning and  decision-making for heritage can be traced back to the rationality inspired by enlightenment and rational planning, which is termed "Rational conservation planning (RCP)". The RCP simplifies thedecision-making process and proposes universally applicable solutions. As a result, this approach has impeded the ability to effectively address the challenges faced.
The primary aim of this article is to illuminate the stagnant state of the current theories of heritage conservation in terms of understanding theoretical challenges: Their perspective on heritage conservation is limited and narrow-minded. In order to address this fundamental issue, the authors pose the question: What is the competing paradigm for this rational view of conservation, and can it offer a better approach  for urban heritage conservation?
This article reviews the literature, critiques the RCP and suggests a paradigm shift from rational conservation to pragmatic conservation through qualitative research method and abductive reasoning strategy. The proposed pragmatic conceptual model alters the planning context into a complex and uncertain environment. In this scenario, the conservator is not faced with a neutral and non-political backdrop but rather a heavily politicized world characterized by power dynamics.  Pragmatic conservation underscores the shift from viewing conservation as an external and objective concept to recognizing it as an internal and intersubjective realm.
To explain the relationship between the theoretical framework and the practical conditions, a case study research has been employed, utilizing an information-oriented selection strategy. In this article, the authors have selected a significant case at both the national and global levels: the world heritage site of TCHOGHAZANBIL. A storytelling or narrative-based method, which is well-known in qualitative research, has been used to investigatethis site's planning conflicts. Finally, it has been concluded that unlike the technical issues that the RCP has tried to expand over the years and has widely included them in professional and educational programs, heritage conservation is involved in highly political problems in which power relations play a serious role. The story of TCHOGHAZANBIL examplifies resistance within a dependent, complex, controversial and uncertain context. Resistance in this context is formed and operates based on rules and laws, emotions and initiatives and manifests in the form of negotiations, dialogues, coalitions, strategies and tactics.