The Production of Heritage : the politicisation of architectural conservation

The ‘Production of heritage’ is a truism – history is made consecutively and collectively, now becomes then, the everyday becomes rare, and rarity becomes desirable and attainable at a cost. This process becomes politicised when we look at heritage either as a product or as a process that can and is constantly adjusted and adapted according to requirements. As with any product, we have to ask what it is for, who does it serve, how much will it cost and what benefit does it give. This seemingly obvious set of questions are however very poorly answered when considering heritage. ‘Authenticity’ and ‘significance’ as words already lack precision, as we see in the glossary of terms that we include at the start of each chapter. These terms are accepted definitions, but also provocations to our habitual acceptance of words and their meanings. If significance is only understood by consultants, authorities and developers via the ambiguities of a specialised language of standards and protocols, then that ambiguity is open to manipulation, particularly if the rhetoric around their use is exclusive rather than transparent.