ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the issue of "who owns the past This latter view led the United Nations to designate a number of places as "World Heritage Sites". Controversies arise over a number of issues: whether what the tourist sees is authentic; how to define "authentic"; how to interpret the site for tourists; protecting sites from damage; protecting tourists from damage; ensuring that local communities gain from the business; and ensuring they have some say in the enterprise. Political repercussions from controversies over archaeological sites or objects demonstrate that the past is part of today. It might seem that controversies over whether work is properly scientific could be calmly decided, but it is perilous to draw a line between the social dimensions of archaeological work and the scientific methodological dimensions. Scientific archaeology has its own nationalistic roots.
