The debates on identity and cultural law in the expansion of actions for cultural heritage in Brazil

Abstract

We aim to analyze the process of construction of the field of intangible heritage through the relationship between Brazilian cultural policies and international legal frameworks that reinforce a path of valuing identity as a tool for articulating rights. From a historical perspective, we observed how the intangible heritage policy meant a greater expansion of the participation of different agents and, consequently, an increase in cultural rights. However, in the context of material wealth policy, this aspect is not observed to the same extent, reflecting limits to the advances of public patrimonialisation actions, permeated by constraints to the realization of cultural citizenship.