Paper short abstract:

Authentic heritage is commonly defined as heritage that is genuinely old. I am proposing an alternative definition of authentic heritage focusing on 'pastness', the experience of the quality or condition of being past. Under which circumstances and on which occasions do humans experience 'pastness'?

Paper long abstract:

Authentic heritage is commonly defined as heritage that is genuinely old. I will start my presentation by asking what “genuinely old” actually means in the context of heritage. It turns out that this question is anything but simple. That an archaeological site or artefact is genuinely old and authentic can actually mean very many things, and may refer to the material substance, the design, the function, the location, the technique of manufacture, etc. I will then proceed to ask my second question, whether there can be an alternative definition of authentic heritage. Since age is such a soft target, another definition might focus on the use of heritage in the present rather than its origin in the past. With this in mind, I will propose a definition of authentic heritage as that which allows you to experience what could be called ‘pastness’, the experience of the quality or condition of being past. I will argue that if we want to understand and manage cultural heritage with regard to the important role it fulfills in society, we need to investigate under which circumstances and on which occasions humans experience ‘pastness’.