Procedimentos patrimoniais e tensões de futuro: o patrimônio na gestão de populações, espaços e memórias na cidade de Petrópolis/RJ

Abstract

The research investigates how heritage procedures operate in the management of populations, territories, and memories in the city of Petrópolis/RJ. By focusing on the articulation between discursive tactics and bureaucratic mechanisms that led to the patrimonialization of the Vila Operária de Cascatinha by IPHAN in 1981, the dissertation analyzes the effects of this process on the narratives that contributed to the construction of both national and local identities, as well as the social actors who disputed which elements should—or should not—be recognized as representative of the Brazilian nation. Both the narratives and the devices are preserved in another type of heritage produced by the patrimonialization process itself: the archive. It is within this bureaucratic artifact—which gives physical existence to the historical narrative and symbolic existence to the material good—that this work unfolds ethnographically. These are documents housed in public archives, such as administrative proceedings, architectural and sociological studies, and technical reports prepared by IPHAN, as well as newspaper articles gathered from the collection of the Brazilian Digital Periodicals Library (Hemeroteca Digital Brasileira). The anthropological approach to these documents prompted reflections on the production of the idea of “failure” as a justification mechanism for state intervention; on the complementarity between patrimonialization dynamics and architectural and urban revitalization/requalification projects; on the role of documentary artifacts and institutions in producing discourses about the Nation and collective identity; and on the importance of professional networks and civil society organizations in legitimizing the State.In general, the work seeks to challenge conceptions such as authenticity, uniqueness, and exemplarity, which underpin the attribution of heritage value, highlighting how preservation policies are shaped by historical contexts, political disputes, and pragmatic purposes.