lo Squaderno (Jun 2016)
On Heritage as a Principle of Valorisation A note on Italo Calvino
Abstract
That heritage – or, ‘the common good of humanity’, as it has also been called – embodies a form of – cultural, social and economic – value, seems self-evident. Yet, why is it so?In other words, which is the specific rationale of valorisation contained in heritage? If heritage contains an intrinsic principle of valorisation, why do we need heritage-making practices, practices that institute and valorise heritage? If heritage needs to be valorised, does this mean that its principle of valorisation is not as intrinsic as commonly believed? Needless to say, in this short text it is not possible to tackle such a complex and challenging question as it deserves. Provisionally, my only aim here is to recall an interesting reflection advanced almost 40 years ago by the writer Italo Calvino which, I think, might help us to untangle the puzzle of the entwinement of heritage and value.
