Representations of the nation and cultural diversity in discourses on World Heritage

Abstract

This article presents the main values for which 106 sites have been nominated for inclusion on the World Heritage List. The article then analyses how these values have been used for the representation of the nation, the past and cultural diversity and the construction of national collective identities. The exclusions of specific themes and groups of the population as well as their histories and values from these representations are highlighted. Finally, international efforts that aim to relocate these themes and subjects from a marginal to a more central position within official discourses on World Heritage are detailed.