11.30  « Être habité par les lieux » : Une nouvelle condition de l'expertise ? Note sur une enquête en Picardie

The expansion of the heritage field and the growing place of cultural intangible heritage often can explain the emergence of new actors and new experts representing communities looking for the recognition of their cultural identities. But how can we explain this emergence in areas where a great monumental heritage seems to overshadow other forms of heritage? This paper will try to clarify this issue through the case of Picardie, a region of Northern France where we conducted a collective field survey. We will attempt to understand who the new actors of heritagization are, in a context where cultural popular practices have a low degree of legitimacy. We will try to point out the increasing division of labour between different kind of experts: scientists, activists, and those actors whose skills seem to be naturally given by the land, the monuments, and the places they protect. Those actors are often told to be “habités par les lieux.” What does this mean and is it a new condition for being an expert?