When heritage makes the “difference.” Authentification processes of a local product in Tuscany

Varia
By Michela Badii
English

This article focuses on the food heritage processes of a Tuscan traditional product: the zolfino bean. Categories of heritage and authenticity are here defined, the former as the space for activating top-down politics and the latter as the tool legitimizing the heritage actors in the construction of the product’s plus value—experts, institutions, and local networks. The zolfino heritage process triggers a conflictual and strategic re-writing of community history, where the parameter of authenticity defines the borders of production according to the varying interests involved.

Keywords

  • heritage processes
  • authenticity
  • tradition
  • typical productions
  • belonging
Go to the article on Cairn-int.info