Cultural Identity and Heritage

Cultural heritage research examines how communities, nations, and institutions select, preserve, and contest the material and intangible traces of the past — from archaeological sites and oral traditions to monuments and ritual practices. The stakes are high because decisions about what counts as heritage are never neutral: they shape national identities, justify territorial claims, fuel tourism economies, and can either silence or restore the memories of marginalized groups. Scholars in this area draw on archaeology, ethnology, and postcolonial theory to understand how colonial legacies continue to distort whose heritage is recognized and protected. Among the most active questions today are how communities can assert meaningful control over their own heritage in an era of mass tourism and digital reproduction, and how the concept of heritage itself holds up under the pressures of globalization and political nationalism.

Works

149,535

Total citations

72,898

Keywords

HeritageIdentityTourismMemoryCulturePolitics