The article examines the issue of cultural heritage, focusing on the process of negotiating reality. It draws attention to aspects of divergence and conflict deriving from the different values and interests of the actors involved. A number of examples are cited - such as the registration of the candomblé terreiro, Casa Blanca, in Salvador, Bahia, and the paradigmatic case of Copacabana - in order to demonstrate that public heritage policies cannot be dissociated from the heterogeneity and complexity of social life.
Cultural Heritage; Politics; City; Heterogeneity; Conflict