Archaeology, Politics, and Globalization: Who Is Responsible for Archaeological Heritage?

Abstract

Heritage protection in Argentina is based on a national heritage system founded on state custody. Although this protection system has never functioned fully, not even at the beginning of the twentieth century when it was created, the current situation is even more critical, since its practical ineffectiveness is compounded by the mismatch between the logic of the system and reality.

While the national state does not assume the responsibilities established by the National Constitution regarding heritage preservation, concern for heritage and the adoption of related policies have moved beyond the national scale and are now discussed at the macroregional level, such as MERCOSUR, and at the international level.

At the same time, municipalities and local residents are becoming increasingly involved in the preservation of local heritage, while Indigenous communities are claiming participation in the management of their cultural assets, particularly the human remains of their ancestors.

Local and supranational heritage management, Indigenous claims, mass consumption of archaeological resources, and the privatization of the management of cultural resources are issues that, until recently, had been largely ignored in Argentina. Today, however, they challenge the very foundations of heritage protection.

In this context, the aim of this paper is to analyze the new scenario of heritage preservation in Argentina and to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the current system, as well as the opportunities and threats that this new reality may generate.