Cultural Heritage as a Process of Accumulation

The chapter points out that cultural heritage is not only a relatively new idea – deeply rooted in the nineteenth century, when Europeans showed an increasing interest in preserving medieval buildings – but also a problematic one. It is, in fact, a top-down ideal usually defined by the most powerful members of society. To counter this, a number of interested observers have stressed the need to democratize cultural heritage, giving greater control to local communities. I contend that the ‘democratization’ of cultural heritage should be coupled, on a more theoretical level, with a process of ‘de-Westernization’ that builds on a more informed awareness about the process of ‘accumulation’ which underpins many of the achievements, ideals, and perceptions that lie at the very base of much of what we commonly consider as tangible (such as works of art, artefacts, books) and intangible culture (such as knowledge, folklore and traditions).