Write an essay on the heritage which the nationalist movement has bequeathed to us
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Answer:
WHAT IS THE AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE TERM?
“Heritage” in the broadest sense is that which is inherited. Everything which the ancestors bequeath
may be called heritage: landscapes, structures, objects, traditions. Humans have understood the
concept of heritage ever since they developed artefacts and language.
People also discriminate between things which are worth inheriting and passing on and other things
which they prefer to forget. They may decide to preserve only structures considered grand or
beautiful, or traditions and legends which are inspiring or useful. A constant process of selection is
under way, both conscious and unconscious, as each generation decides which elements of its
inheritance to keep and which to throw away.
What Australians understand by heritage can be inferred from a broad range of contemporary
commentary, discussion and of course legislation. Forms of heritage which are cherished by local
communities, celebrated in Heritage Week, defended in conservation initiatives or regulated by
government include: buildings, places and precincts; archaeological sites and relics; landscape,
environment, gardens and trees; movable heritage (artefacts) and intangible heritage (customs,
language, stories, beliefs).
However, a study by Heath McDonald in 20061
found that while Australians did define heritage very
broadly and understood it to include a wide range of objects, places and experiences, they felt
uncertain as to the validity of their own views. People involved in local heritage activity lacked the
confidence to ascribe value or significance to their own actions and beliefs, let alone what might
constitute national significance.
What heritage means to individuals can also change dramatically over the years. In Australia there
have been times when people of Indigenous descent felt compelled to deny or hide their origins, and
other times when it was proudly acknowledged. The same has been true of those with convict
ancestry, or people from immigrant communities. Built heritage once considered vulgar may look
very different after a hundred years (for example the lavish iron lacework of the 19th century), or an
environment devastated by industry can acquire value because of its historic significance (for
example Burra or Queenstown). It follows that any given generation, including our own, may have
difficulty determining in its own time things of value which future generations will also value.
Australian heritage legislation also acts as a guide to public understanding, reflecting as it does both
the steady growth of interest in heritage in recent decades and the persistence of a fragmented
1 McDonald, Heath 2006, Understanding Public Involvement with Australian Heritage – Final Research Report, Deakin University.