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Madalina Iacob, West University of Timișoara, RomaniaAbstract
UNESCO cultural heritage policies constitute a central framework through which cultural value is internationally recognized, institutionalized, and transformed into national patrimony. Beyond symbolic acknowledgment, UNESCO inscription reshapes governance practices, redistributes authority among cultural actors, and redefines the relationship between civil society and the state. This paper examines how cultural objects become integrated into national heritage regimes through UNESCO nomination processes, focusing on Romania as a case study.
The analysis addresses a key question in cultural studies and heritage governance: to what extent does an object become “national heritage” when its initial nomination is driven by non-state actors but ultimately validated through state-led bureaucratic and international mechanisms? Methodologically, the paper employs qualitative document analysis of national heritage legislation, UNESCO nomination guidelines, and selected Romanian nomination dossiers, complemented by an institutional analysis of the actors involved in the decision-making process.
The paper argues that UNESCO inscription operates as a mechanism of cultural reclassification, through which locally or privately valorized objects are rearticulated as components of state-endorsed national heritage. In the Romanian context, this process reveals a hybrid model of cultural governance, where civil society initiatives play a decisive role in agenda-setting, while state institutions retain symbolic and legal authority over heritage designation. By highlighting this negotiated transformation of cultural value, the paper contributes to broader debates on heritage, power, and legitimacy, and offers insights into the dynamics of cultural governance in post-socialist European contexts.
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