Culture, Heritage, and Ethics

Аннотация

Heritage is that which has been or may be inherited, regardless of its value. Unfortunately, the term 'heritage' (the 13 th century English word is ultimately derived from the Latin heres, meaning heir or heiress) is nowadays frequently used for purposes best described as touristic, to sell everything from beer and tomatoes to gardens and hotels. It is possible to think of some of this heritage as non-cultural, or perhaps even anti-cultural. An even more plausible contender for this last set, unlikely to feature in heritage magazines such as Discover Britain, might be hooliganism. And yet such anti-cultural behaviour may be part of Britain’s culture, as much as Big Ben, the Monarchy, Stilton cheese, the National Health Service, and Top of the Pops; the sort of things celebrated in Danny Boyle’s 2012 Olympic Ceremony Opening.