Social representations of cultural heritage in San José, Costa Rica

Abstract

Social Representations, according to Romanian social psychologist Serge Moscovici, are a system of values, ideas, and practices that allow individuals to orient themselves and control the social world while also facilitating communication through codes. Social Representations are a collective production; Mexican social psychologist Silvia Valencia explains that they are produced in a dual way: they are a product because individuals assign them content, and they are an action because they serve to appropriate reality. This article analyzes Social Representations of cultural heritage in the city of San José. Two main directions in which Social Representations are produced are identified: the production of Social Representations by dominant groups, which results in a “top-down” process leading to an “official heritage”; and the production of Social Representations by subaltern groups, which is considered a “bottom-up” process leading to an “everyday heritage.” Six Social Representations were identified, all interconnected. This analysis helps to understand how the official discourse in the creation of a national identity is reflected in the construction of heritage in the capital city. It also allows us to understand how subaltern groups construct an idea of heritage that may differ from the official discourse, for example, by assigning value to modern architecture, likewise, it sheds light on how the official discourse may exclude the production of subaltern groups.