What Do We Mean by “Heritage”?

“Heritage management” comprises the many processes whereby archaeologists and other professionals “manage” impacts on places or objects of cultural importance. In the United States, these processes include “culture resources management.” Regardless of how we define it, the management of cultural/heritage resources is anything but simple and it impacts many different “publics.” Heritage management is more than a set of technical processes that operate independent of local, regional, national, or international populations. This article explores and explains conflicts concerning “heritage,” and analyzes some of the uses of cultural “patrimony” in contemporary societies