Heritage and Cultural Policy in France under the Fifth Republic

International audienceIn the French historical tradition, four approaches at least have been heavily exploited. One seminal study defines the concept longitudinally in terms of religion, the monarchy, the family, the nation, the administration and science. Another essay uses allegory in an attempt to penetrate the proclaimed, avowed or unspoken motives underlying the notion of heritage. Another work uses the criterion of restoration to determine when a historical monument falls into the category of heritage. Fourth, a recent ground-breaking treatise considers heritage in historical and archaeological practice as reflecting representations of citizenship and the nation. Our angle of attack is somewhat different, even though it draws on the above approaches for its conclusions and suggestions for research. What interests us is the role of official culture policies - those pursued by the State, particularly - in the development of the idea of heritage