Reflections on the approaches in the definition of cultural heritage

Abstract

The way in which heritage is understood affects practices that directly affect it. Dialogue at the academic level, especially when it finds ways to be received among non-academics, can streng- then inertia towards ways of thinking and acting linked to heritage in at least two ways. In this document I propose to return to the reflection on what we call cultural heritage, referring to two large groups of definitions that are usually used to refer to it, as a prelude to reflection on the implications of its adoption. In the end, I present a third sense towards which some defini- tions have been directed in recent years, which possibly, without considering it as an objective, is proposing to integrate components that are present in the two initial paradigms.