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Memory on the rails: railway heritage and its contribution to Brazilian preventive practices in the 1980s

ABSTRACT

This article contains reflections on the process of valuing and recognizing the cultural heritage of railways, which emerged throughout the 1980s, interpreting it as an important element in structuring the right to culture, identity and national heritage. The text presented is based on research on the railway past and its displacement from the object of actions restricted to festive celebrations for its takeover as public policy. It briefly presents the analysis of the Historical Heritage Preservation Program (Preserve) and the railway preservation associations (APFs). Two contemporary initiatives that helped to consolidate a system for charging protection and preservation of railway memory to the State, competing for a place in the scene of historical, artistic and cultural monuments valued as national goods. The reach of public and social recognition of these goods is a matter of recent interest by the academy, however, it has become an important segment of investigation. This work helps to advance the understanding of the theme and also in relation to the significant period in the consolidation of democracy in Brazilian society. It used official documents from the Preserve as source and extensive survey on the APFs, presenting here an excerpt about the Brazilian Association of Railway Preservation (ABPF), in the scenario of the new social movements that emerged in the period.

KEYWORDS:
Rail heritage Democracy; Railway Preservation Association; Preserve

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