Los límites del patrimonio cultural

Cultural heritage is one of the most complex scientific fields to address, since, in addition to the diversity of goods that make it up, numerous interests and effects of a social, political, ideological, economic, urban, etc. type converge around it. This multidimensionality of cultural heritage has led all kinds of agents, disciplines and groups to approach it to extract from it those objectives or benefits that they consider legitimate for their particular interests. This fact is currently giving rise to the development of a series of trends that can be very dangerous for cultural heritage, for the maintenance and sustainability of an adequate system of recognition and protection of it. Trends such as those related to the use of memory and identity as references for the patrimonialization of a property, the uncontrolled expansion of intangible cultural heritage, the supplanting of guardianship by management, the simplistic appeal to citizen participation, the disregard of the formal processes of declaration of assets, and the legal implications that they imply, especially in those of a landscape nature. In order to navigate correctly through this patrimonial confusion, the author induces us to go to the security of the limits of science (and that of its professionals), which grants, in this case, the principles and foundations of the discipline of heritage protection. culture, thus asserting the scientific framework built over centuries with the aim of having a powerful, universal, democratic, legitimate, fair, supportive, inclusive instrument... to defend one of the most precious (and appreciated) treasures of humanity, its own history, its own existence. Avoiding squandering this exceptional and universal achievement is the goal of this publication.