This panel explores how public heritage intersects with national identities in Latin America. Substantive literature discusses whether public memorialisation of past facts is to be seen as a neo-colonial tool through which the state and/or international bodies such as UNESCO discipline, normalise and objectify memory, with the risk of hiding alternative histories. Other literature, instead, looks at the de-colonial potential of public memory, highlighting the way by which certain groups make their history visible through heritage, and contest official narratives of the nation. That said, little research concretely explores the ways in which public heritage is used to shape and/or question national identity in Latin America. In Peru, official food heritage is shaping a ‘modern’ image of national identity at home and abroad, by selecting certain native ingredients and marginalising others. In Brazil, recent public use of slave memory reflects some changes in Brazilian national identity and challenges its traditional view as a ‘mixed-race’ society.

We look for abstracts that address intersections of heritage and national identity across the region, in order to trace similarities and differences. Welcome, for instance, will be papers dealing with relations between national identity and memorialisation of dictatorship crimes, papers dealing with the way the nation is represented in national feasts, music and literature, cinema, national brand advertising, representations of the nation in money notes, stamps, and so on.

Convenors

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