Author Description

Heritage or Heresy takes a fresh look at the concept of cultural heritage and reminds us why it matters. Schildgen delves deep into the manifestation of iconoclasm in local and national movements and takes into account the role of memory and regret in the destruction or preservation of the architectural, artistic, and historic legacy of Europe. After a close inspection, she argues that the idea of secularism and mutual tolerance born in the Enlightenment provided the basis for the modern commitment that regards all natural and cultural patrimony as the shared heritage of all humanity.