Patrimonial education and cultural rights: The contribution of archaeological heritage to the construction of collective memories

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present our experiences as members of the Public Archaeology Program (PAP) - based at the Museo de Antropología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC) - which focuses on north-east communities in Córdoba, Argentina, where we have performed several archaeological rescue excavations and educational activities based around the protection of regional archaeology and heritage. Since we recognize and respect the cultural rights of these communities in relation to the archaeological heritage, we conducted a scheme of activities to encourage people to participate in archaeological rescues, lectures, and workshops about the lifestyle of the indigenous people that inhabited Córdoba, on the basis of knowledge generated from material culture recovered in these sites. Our methodology derives from concepts framed by Heritage Education, which aims at yielding greater insights into identity and collective memory, in view of the way members of these communities interpret the past.