Culture, Heritage and Commodification

Abstract

Monetary valuations of cultural artefacts are becoming increasingly frequent in the twenty-first century, leading to the advent of culture and heritage as commercial commodities. Debates rage over the ethics of charging admission to museums and the cost of membership to heritage organizations. Cultural representations in print and on the media generate economic profit. Ecotourism ventures to sites such as the RMS Titanic and the recent suggestion of floating the Terracotta Army on the stock market are all indicators of the increasing economic emphasis in the management of cultural resources. This chapter is an attempt to focus on some of the economic issues surrounding the presentation and management of cultural heritage resources and the role of the anthropologist in the privatization of culture and heritage. It considers the issue of ‘ownership’ within heritage and questions the methods and circumstances of economic valuation of cultural resources.