Authenticity in Museums: A Critical Approach to Cultural Heritage

This chapter emphasises the need to reconsider the notion of authenticity in heritage management policies. The concepts of heritage, authenticity and integrity are not experienced in the same way in all societies. They belong to diverse socio-historical contexts and are shaped by linguistic environments that forge the thinking of societies. In turn, these societies establish unique techniques for protecting their heritage, which may not be in line with the conventional methods of preservation instituted by international organisations. This situation creates a paradox that reveals the imbalance in the classification of World Heritage Sites and exposes museums as historical and contemporary factories of the concept of authenticity.