Heritage, Power, and Politics: The Institutionalization of Cultural Mapping for Community Engagement and Identity Formation

Cultural mapping has become an essential tool for documenting and preserving heritage. Sen. Loren Legarda's and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts' joint advocacies aimed at community cohesion and identity formation were realized upon the enactment of Republic Act 11961.

Drawing on empirical data gathered from the cultural mapping project, this paper explores how different social institutions engage with the identification and recording of their cultural properties to add value to the interpretation of heritage within their communities. Anchored from Laurajane Smith’s Authorized Heritage Discourse (AHD), the paper contends that cultural mapping is located within performances of power, manifested by the interests of the dominant political actors and institutions. Though the process offers opportunities for the marginalized groups to assert, if not include, their narratives, bureaucratic political structures remain a challenge.

Moreover, the paper expounds on the role of cultural mapping in identity formation, delving into how this initiative influences communities’ collective memory and sense of belonging. This paper aspires to discuss the complex intersections of heritage, power, and politics in cultural mapping, highlighting its potential for community empowerment and a tool for political authority.