Multicultural heritage and nation state: cases of Prekmurje, Bela krajina and Primorska

The project theorises multicultural heritage as constituted by dynamic narratives, practices and symbolisations that take place among different actors. It will show how vernacular practices interact with processes of dominant ideologisation of heritage, and highlight the ways the dominant canon of national heritage is imprinted onto everyday practice of creating/maintaining heritage.

The goal is to show that local actors are not just passive receivers of dominant concepts about the “one and only” heritage, but rather to emphasise their role in actively transforming and intervening conceptualisations of heritage. We will thus look at heritage(s) as living practices and everyday activities, i.e. on the ways communities perceive their heritage(s) and create them in accordance with or in opposition to institutionalized discourses.

The project consists of three core studies: Local and individual archives, Heritage as performance – cultural manifestations and Mediation and digitisation of multicultural heritage.