ABSTRACT
In the interactions between ritual, heritage and identity, ritual can be taken to either constitute heritage or be a vehicle through which heritage is communicated. Similarly, identity is taken to be a resultant of the application of heritage. This chapter views heritage as a contemporary process in the service of multiple social, economic and political needs. It investigates an aspect of the relationships between the three quite different elements: heritage, ritual and identity. Heritage, as the active ingredient in the triad, needs particularly careful definition; but unfortunately, the word has had its meanings so stretched that it is in danger of becoming practically meaningless. Heritage is expected to serve many public interests, whether political, social or economic, within public policies.
