Heritage misfits: the Monumenta Program in Laranjeiras, Sergipe

Abstract

This article discusses the implementation of the Monumenta Programme in the city of Laranjeiras (Sergipe state, Brazil), with the aim of establishing its potential limits. Having been devised to preserve, restore, and revive the use of cultural goods nationwide, the programme received funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and from federal, state, and municipal governments, with a view to promoting the sustainability of heritage conservation via public-private partnerships. As far as methodology is concerned, the article is grounded on the interpretation of meanings assigned to actions by agents, through archival documents from IDB and the National Institute for Historic and Artistic Heritage (Iphan) and from interviews with professionals involved. A decision was made to focus on actions performed in Laranjeiras as regards the programme’s strategies and reports of general obstacles, in order to support the analysis of its conflicts, limits, and contributions to the city. The article offers an introduction to the topic, including a state of the art, followed by sections that address the programme’s action strategies, hurdles, and implementation in Laranjeiras, and concludes with an assessment of its meaning as a form of governmental action.

Keywords:
Monumenta Programme; Laranjeiras (Sergipe state); Iphan; Urban Heritage