Can Heritage Be Gathering????

REFLECTION

The topic of Architectural Heritage is a controversial one. It has both tangible and intangible elements: objects, monuments, techniques of construction, and narratives from the past. However, the term ‘past’ raises meaningful questions. When does the past start? And how old is “the old”?

In fact, we believe that the act of speaking is the end of the Past. Accordingly, there is not a defined present; there is only a past and a future. In other words, we believe in the continuous Heritage-Making Process. We believe also in the cumulative character of architectural heritage which consists, somehow, of all architectural realizations since the beginning of time. Moreover, Heritage for us should also be an engine of economic revitalization of the community, in which, new jobs, appropriate revenus and continuous economic activities are generated. Evidently others may disagree with our perception of what is “old” and when the past begins. However, the appreciation and evaluation of a monument or site is a multilayered process with several factors up for debate and we welcome this dialogue.  As for the heritage’s professional role, we believe in what N. Silberman and Grenville cited, “[…] today’s heritage professionals must, first of all, have the expertise to identify and assess various heritage-related development processes, whom precisely they benefit, and whether they reinforce or undermine a community’s ontological security (Grenville, 2007).

Why do people strive to preserve their architectural heritage? 

The conservation of architectural heritage is a form of confronting external and internal threats to the local identity. These threats are very often related to transitional periods between different systems of production. Hence, people cling to their ancestors’ legacy in order to face an invaded culture and express a refusal of certain changes in society. The conservation of architectural heritage is equally a tool for sustainable development regarding the thousands of jobs it provides in fields like heritage studies, tourism, artistic creation, materials, production, rehabilitation works and other services.    

Although we incessantly appeal for conserving world heritage, we appreciate that having proof of a great past does not mean having a great present. Moreover, we believe that defining heritage solely as a source of national pride can be a way to hide a weakness in building a remarkable, meaningful and powerful present. Instead, heritage conservation should be a fact of society more than a fact of state local, international organization.