Territories of hope: uses of memory, narrative construction, and the making of territory as cultural heritage

Abstract

This short article, which is actually an essay, since it is not the product of research but rather an attempt to think about categories of analysis and the construction of public policies, is the result of reflections from two academic meetings in the city of Ouro Preto in September 2024 and March 2025. Here, the territory, conceived as a category of analysis, is seen as a place of convergence between different natures and the variety of local cultures. The territory, therefore, is not the stage for history, culture or the active life of populations, but rather the place where natures and cultures meet. Heritage is thought of as an inheritance constructed from the uses of memory and narrative constructions framed according to local social groups and a potential object of public policies. Cultural memory, notions of belonging and the need for recognition by the myriad of social groups are seen as operative categories. The essay is divided into three parts: the first seeks to understand what cultural heritage is and its importance; the second seeks to understand the role of heritage in a new regime of historicity; the third aims to discuss the territory or territories as an object of patrimonialization.