Heritage, Identity, Globalisation and Conflict: the polemics of the Vale do Côa Palaeolithic Engravings revisited
Heritage, Identity, Globalisation and Conflict: the polemics of the Vale do Côa Palaeolithic Engravings revisited
The present research project intends, on the one hand, to revisit the conflict between those who supported the building of a dam in the Côa, and those who supported the preservation of the prehistoric engravings then discovered, and to focus on their respective motivations. This conflict is perceived as a sign of confrontation between those for whom the fundamental criterion was the one of immediate (economic) utility of the dam, and those for whom the fundamental purpose was the preservation of heritage, where they also in fact saw, although secondarily, an economic capital. This is a conflict that reflects the presence of different discourses or even cultures, such as those represented by teachers of the local high school, who supported the preservation of the engravings, and traders, who believed in increasing economic revenues in the immediate future, as a result of the building of the dam.
On the other hand, this project also seeks to analyse the emerging conflict(s) within the framework of the complex articulations between global and local agencies and institutions. Articulations between global agencies dealing with heritage such as UNESCO and local agents and policies: town council, schools, economic, political and cultural agents, etc. Lastly, it is also a goal of this project to address the role that heritage has come to acquire in the processes of local identity production.
Local, Global, Heritage, Identity
The present research project intends, on the one hand, to revisit the conflict between those who supported the building of a dam in the Côa, and those who supported the preservation of the prehistoric engravings then discovered, and to focus on their respective motivations. This conflict is perceived as a sign of confrontation between those for whom the fundamental criterion was the one of immediate (economic) utility of the dam, and those for whom the fundamental purpose was the preservation of heritage, where they also in fact saw, although secondarily, an economic capital. This is a conflict that reflects the presence of different discourses or even cultures, such as those represented by teachers of the local high school, who supported the preservation of the engravings, and traders, who believed in increasing economic revenues in the immediate future, as a result of the building of the dam.
On the other hand, this project also seeks to analyse the emerging conflict(s) within the framework of the complex articulations between global and local agencies and institutions. Articulations between global agencies dealing with heritage such as UNESCO and local agents and policies: town council, schools, economic, political and cultural agents, etc. Lastly, it is also a goal of this project to address the role that heritage has come to acquire in the processes of local identity production.