Moving beyond the collateral effects of the Patrimonialisation: The Faro Convention and the ‘Commonification’ of Cultural Heritage

Abstract

How can the potentialities of the Faro Framework Convention be improved if they are put in relation to the paradigm of the ‘commons’ and to its innovative democratic capacity in terms of social justice and inclusive principles and values? After having underlined the main elements of innovation which characterize the Faro Convention, especially with respect to the intangible cultural heritage, the diverse risks which can affect the patrimonialization of cultural heritage are taken into account, paying particular attention to the processes of identitarian instrumentalization; folklorization and museification; urban and social disaggregation. In order to avoid these risks, the ‘commons’ approach is proposed as a different way to recognize, implement and transmit cultural heritage through its ‘commonification’. This process is already at work in many different contexts, fields and sectors, as it will be illustrated by some concrete examples of commonification of cultural heritage throughout Europe