The Evolving Heritage: Rethinking Heritage through Evolutionary Logic
This thesis offers a critical reading of cultural heritage analysed through the lens of Darwinian theory. Cultural heritage, as a human product and process, is not a static entity that remains unchanged over time, but rather a living system in constant flux. Starting from a historical deconstruction...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis de maestría |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad del País Vasco |
| Repositorio: | Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dnet:addi________::02876fc03ac0c679082870c0cb97d614 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10810/79844 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | cultural heritage Darwinian theory historical deconstruction of monuments |
| Sumario: | This thesis offers a critical reading of cultural heritage analysed through the lens of Darwinian theory. Cultural heritage, as a human product and process, is not a static entity that remains unchanged over time, but rather a living system in constant flux. Starting from a historical deconstruction of monuments and their meaning as negotiated over time, the research introduces subjectivity into evolutionary mechanisms. The Darwinism of heritage allows us to distinguish between artificial selective systems, guided by institutional criteria, and natural selection, self-defined through reuse and continuous care by the community that inhabits it. The work is based on a comparative analysis of two emblematic case studies of informal resilience: the informal transport system of Motomesa in Colombia and the Stop Shopping Centre (CCStop) in Porto. In the first case, a disused modern building becomes a creative incubator for musicians and artists, while in the second, the abandoned railway infrastructure allows for its regeneration through a vital selfmanaged transport system. These examples demonstrate how adaptive reuse can accommodate new forms of protection and, at the same time, generate new cultural forms. The results show that heritage is not just something inherited from the distant past, but the result of a continuous process that also involves everyday life. Broadening the spectrum of heritage to include these uncounscious traditions could constitute a paradigm shift in the sector, moving from relics to drivers of sustainable regeneration, transforming the remains of the past into active resources for the future. |
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