Desafiando o Discurso Autorizado de Patrimônio (Challenging the Authorised Heritage Discourse)

The article, originally presented as the inaugural class for the Profissional Master Degree on the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, at the Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN), discusses the impacts of the Authorized Heritage Discourse (AHD) for the professional practices encompassed in managing heritage. For that matter, it initially presents heritage as a concept, also defining the AHD, as proposed by the author. It also pinpoints the consequence of the AHD and highlights critiques posed to such notion. At the end, tha author focuses on the importance of questioning and challenging the AHD and the role specialists play in heritage managing, stressing it political perspective.