Heritage as an action word : uses beyond communal memory / Susan Shay, Kelly M. Britt.

Susan Shay, PhD, AIA, is an Affiliated Scholar of the Heritage Research Centre at the University of Cambridge and a US Registered Architect.

There is no limit to what constitutes heritage. By definition, heritage is the use of the past for present purposes. Yet, to any given group or population, heritage can be a multitude of things and can serve a variety of purposes. Based on shared memory, heritage can be tangible or intangible, boundless in variety and scope: it can be, for example, objects, landscapes, food or clothing, music or dance, sites or statues, monuments or buildings. Importantly, however, heritage also has many and varied uses and powers. It can be used to control, to unite, to engage, and to empower people, communities, and nations.