shared heritage

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the cultural, historical, and physical legacy — including traditions, languages, stories, monuments, landscapes, and ways of life — that a community holds in common and is responsible for preserving, transmitting, and interpreting for future generations; shared heritage is both a resource and a responsibility: a resource because it provides identity, belonging, and the raw material for cultural creativity; a responsibility because heritage must be actively maintained, interpreted, and passed on or it will be lost; the concept of shared heritage is central to cultural policy, UNESCO's designation of World Heritage Sites, and indigenous rights frameworks that recognise the special connection of indigenous communities to the landscapes and cultural practices that constitute their heritage; shared heritage can also be contested — communities may disagree about what their heritage includes, what aspects should be celebrated, and who has the authority to interpret and represent it