Critical inquiry about tangible and intangible heritage in the history class: demystifying values

Abstract

The values of democratic regimes are objects of the transmission of intangible heritage: they are inherited from previous struggles and are treated in curricula as objects of history to be preserved and transmitted from the point of view of permanence. These values have nevertheless fluctuated in the course of the history of democracies. This may raise doubts as to whether the simple transmission of unquestionable values is justified. By considering history as a relationship between ruptures and continuities, we can differentiate between stable principles and their fluctuating historical declensions. We will see that the historicisation and conceptualisation of notions such as justice and democracy lead to their being constituted as objects of history which can engage students in critical enquiry. Demystifying heritage leads to inquiring about the present to grasp the meaning of the values on which it is based.