5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

This session explores the complex intersections of heritage, society, politics, and language, incorporating both empirical research and theoretical frameworks. The aim of this session is to present and discuss research on the interpretation and application of heritage in different contexts. Heritage exists in a number of interpretative dimensions, and can refer to memorials, different types of objects, but also to historical events affecting social and political consequences. Referring to Laurajane Smith, heritage "is not reducible to sites or places, or the things we collect in museums. It is more usefully understood as a performance or practice concerned with utilizing the past to help nations, sub-national communities, interests or groups, and individuals and their families negotiate the cultural and social values and meanings that have resonance and meaning for the present" (L. Smith, 2017: 15-39). In addition, researchers and social practitioners are confronted with 'dissonant heritage', emphasising the contradictory nature of heritage (J.E. Tunbridge, G.J. Ashworth 1995), as well as 'negative heritage', 'undesirable heritage' and 'abject heritage' (J. Samuels 2015). The session invites presentations analysing how various social groups perceive and value heritage differently, reflecting their distinct positions within social hierarchies, as well as examining how its remembrance (individual and collective) is reconstructed and preserved, influencing contemporary identity and community cohesion. By integrating theoretical perspectives with contemporary research, this session will offer a comprehensive examination of the heritage nexus, highlighting its multifaceted impact on society, politics, and language.