Intangible heritage and plural memories: Histories of heritage, oblivions and future opportunities

The intangible heritage label has had unprecedented success in the most diverse countries of the world. This text questions whether this heritagization is contributing in any way to making plural memories visible or whether, as more and more studies point out, this process maintains and reproduces social hierarchy, silencing diversities. Thus, it reflects on the articulation between intangible heritage and folklore and the representations of collective memories. From the case study of the activations of intangible heritage in Andalusia (Spain), we go beyond the explanations that refer to the neoliberal and tourist orientation of heritage or to the dissemination of the UNESCO model, to make the answers more complex. The article addresses political, legislative, and technical decisions, analysing the consequences of the selection mechanisms of heritage institutions (lists, catalogues, inventories); looks at the contradictory role of institutions and the subordinated role of anthropologists in these processes; interprets the reflexivity that folklorist actions have generated in citizens and in their ways of constructing memory concerning intangible heritage.