Autenticidade, memória e ideologias nacionais: o problema dos patrimônios culturais

Abstract

The problem of cultural heritages and their role in the symbolic construction of the idea of nation is discussed. 'Nation' is seen as a category which effects the modern idea of the individual, on the collective plane. In modern national contexts, these heritages are interpreted as objectified forms of culture through which a certain idea of nation is individualized and substantiated. In this process of individualization and substantiation, the categories of authenticity and memory play a crucial role. In the text of cultural heritage, these categories make it possible to believe in the reality of the nation as an individualized entity, possessing precise territorial and cultural boundaries and displaying continuity in time. In other words, authenticity and memory are interpreted as rhetorical strategies through which a nation gains an identity and a past. A comparative look is taken at the Brazilian and American experiences in historical preservation, with the purpose of explaining the fictional nature of so called national heritages through reference to distinct conceptions of authenticity and memory.

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