abstract

Since 1976, the NGO “Qualité Village Wallonie” has worked to safeguard local rural heritage. Yet, over the years, the staff working at the NGO have noticed important changes in rural communities, including other perspectives on the local heritage. This may be linked with rapid changes in demography or changes of interests with globalization. This paper documents the apparent loss of sense of local heritage among inhabitants of the Belgian countryside and, in doing so, reflects on the sense of local places in an era of globalization. Based on interviews with the staff of the NGO and on an e-survey, the research presents a number of explanations for the findings. The results show a shift of attention away from religious and farming heritage toward places that make the village unique. The notion of heritage is evolving from something of the past that requires protection to things, sometimes intangible, that could be useful for the present and future generations. People claim that local heritage matters for the bonding and well-being of rural people.

摘要

自 1976 年以来，非政府组织“Qualité Village Wallonie”一直致力于保护当地的乡村遗产。然而，多年来，非政府组织的工作人员注意到农村社区的重要变化，包括对当地遗产的其他看法。这可能与人口结构的快速变化或全球化带来的利益变化有关。本文记录了比利时乡村居民明显丧失的地方遗产意识，并在此过程中反映了全球化时代的地方意识。根据对非政府组织工作人员的采访和电子调查，该研究对调查结果提出了一些解释。结果表明，人们的注意力从宗教和农业遗产转移到了使村庄独一无二的地方。遗产的概念正在从过去需要保护的事物演变为对今世后代有用的事物，有时是无形的事物。人们声称当地遗产对农村人民的团结和福祉很重要。