This book explores the evolving nature of cultural heritage as a dynamic process shaped by social practices, collective memory, and participatory interpretation. Bridging disciplinary perspectives and international case studies, the volume critically examines how local and transnational communities construct, negotiate, and reframe the meanings and values of heritage in contexts of change, conflict, and reconciliation.
The contributions range from theoretical reflections on heritage-making and interpretive agency to empirical investigations into community-led practices, including ecomuseums, archival recovery, and the valorisation of underground heritage. Several chapters address the role of cultural heritage in peacebuilding processes, with a particular focus on conflict and post-conflict societies such as the Western Balkans and the legacy of the Spanish Civil War, highlighting how memory and trauma are interwoven into contemporary heritage practices.
By presenting diverse approaches, from grassroots initiatives in Rome and Naples to national policies in Hungary and transnational identity constructions among diaspora communities, the book underlines the centrality of interpretation in shaping cultural heritage as a tool for inclusion, identity-making, and local development.