230249 Cultural Memory and Heritage Politics (S) (WiSe 2014/2015)

Since the 19th century the use of cultural and natural heritage was one of the most important elements in the construction of the nation-state in the Americas. But in recent years we can observe a proliferation and heterogeneity of heritage that goes far beyond the nationalization of heritage. With international organizations such as the UNESCO and its world heritage list a transnational field of heritage has been established, and on the local level cities and particular communities have emerged as new heritage-actors. In this context arise new debate on cultural memory, belonging and history that provoke theoretical displacements. We do not see "culture" only as a system with its own logic, but as a resource; we do not only speak about historiographies but about "uses of the past"; we do not think about the construction of fixed identites but about processes of identification. Beyond the reflection on recent debates on cultural memory, nostalgia and heritage, the seminar discusses case studies from the Americas on the use of heritage. In doing so, we rely on tangible and intangible heritage such as monuments, urban ensembles, music, literature, film, and food.