The Heritage Boom, the Care Society, and New Regimes of Saving the Past

Abstract

The article examines the recent heritage boom, characterised by the rise of grassroots activism, focusing on the growth of informal initiatives and communities dedicated to preserving material remnants of the past. The author compares traditional volunteer mobilisation with the connective and situational logics of collective action used in modern civic heritage projects. Drawing on Ulrich Beck’s concept of the risk society, the study identifies a new type of social solidarity termed the society of care. In this context, anxiety over the loss of the past is transformed from a destructive neurosis into a source of moral status, social belonging, and emotional engagement. This shift fundamentally changes the way heritage objects are authenticated, moving from official expert evaluations toward a subjective and affective mode based on personal attachment and individual mission. By analysing these diverse actors, the article demonstrates that heritage has become a dynamic arena for negotiating values and horizontal civic participation, where the boundaries between official and informal narratives are increasingly blurred.