Paper short abstract:

Heritage is constructed at state level through lists and inventories – what of the scientific (archaeological) community, and what of public involvement?

Paper long abstract:

Designation and listing are among the first steps in the construction of heritage. Such inventories have proved necessary for its mobilisation by the state apparatus since the early nineteenth century, as part of the governance of things in the context of capitalist modernity. More complex and even divergent are the roles of inventories with regard to the emerging archaeological sciences on the one hand, and the (gradually ascending) attempts to garner public involvement in the protection and valorisation of archaeological heritage on the other. In addressing these issues, my aim in this paper is to point at some possible point of contacts or gaps between administrative procedures and practical appropriations of heritage, a matter which should be relevant also for immaterial heritage.