THE POLITICS OF HERITAGE:THE CASE OF TAY SON TAM KIET SHRINE

Abstract

This article analyses the politics of heritage through the case of the historical site of the Tây Sơn Tam Kiệt Shrine, a special national historical site in Tay Son, Gia Lai. Drawing on an approach that understands heritage as a process, and combining it with the framework of Authorized Heritage Discourse (AHD), the study analyses the politics of heritage through four dimensions: the selection and valorization of history; the organization of space and symbols; commemorative rituals; and heritage interpretations produced by different actors. Methodologically, the research employs a qualitative approach, combining field survey, participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and discourse analysis. The findings show that the Tây Sơn Tam Kiệt Shrine functions not only as a site for commemorating historical figures but also as a political space of memory in which the past is selectively organized, standardized, and reused in accordance with present-day value orientations. More broadly, the study argues that historical figures can operate as a central mechanism of heritage politics, through which collective memory, symbolic authority, and heritage meanings are produced and sustained.