The 'patrimonial mirror': narcissistic illusion or multiple reflections?

This paper argues that 'heritage' is not an object, place or intangible event, but rather it is a performance or cultural process concerned with negotiating, creating and re-creating cultural memories, values and meanings. This process is obscured by the Authorized Heritage Discourse (AHD). The paper critically analyses the AHD and draws on three case studies from England to illustrate some of the cultural work that the heritage performance undertakes.