The meaning and the role of the concept of authenticity in the definition of world heritage

• Grant number: 14/26571-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: March 30, 2015
• End date: September 25, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Fundamentals of Architecture and Urbanism
• Principal Investigator: Beatriz Mugayar Kühl
• Grantee: Antônio de Oliveira Mello Júnior
• Supervisor: Claudio Varagnoli
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FAU). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Università degli studi G.D’Annunzio Chieti Pescara, Italy
• Associated to the scholarship: 12/24814-4 - The meaning and operability of the concept of authenticity in heritage preservation: the paradigms of Brasilia and Ouro Preto, BP.DR

Abstract

The candidate's doctoral research proposes to discuss the usage of the concept of authenticity in the cultural heritage preservation. By considering its Eurocentric character and traditional meaning, the idea of being authentic is presently relative due to the cultural dimension of the concept. A relativism that could be risky to the artifacts materiality preservation, since the immaterial value of authenticity is becoming part of the contemporary debate. Supposing the authenticity can't be reduced to the material substrate of cultural heritage, despite of its importance to preserve the artifact's attributes, two study cases were elected to discuss the posed question: the paradigms of Ouro Preto and Brasília. Aiming to probe the reflection about theoretical and methodological issues regarding to cultural heritage preservation, in order to examine the meaning and role of the concept of authenticity in the definition of the World Heritage. Therefore, this project proposes the internship abroad at Rome, under the supervision of Professor Claudio Varagnoli of 'Facoltà di Architettura dell'Università delgli Studi G. d'Annunzio di Chieti e Pescara'. Thus, one should consider the importance of the Italian context while debating cultural heritage preservation and Prof. Varagnoli would be an asset to the candidate's work due to his expertise on the subject. In addition, the stay in Rome will provide the access to the 'Biblioteca Centrale della Facoltà di Architettura dell'Università degli Studi di Roma - La Sapienza', and ICCROM: the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, which has one of the world's leading heritage preservation libraries, in both terms of documents and publications. (AU)