Iphan and Fundação Catarinense de Cultura: policies for immigrant cultural heritage in 1980s Santa Catarina

ABSTRACT This paper discusses heritage cultural preservation policies of European immigrants in 1980s Santa Catarina. We analyze the actions of Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (Iphan) and Fundação Catarinense de Cultura (FCC) that result in the formation of the National Immigration Routes project. By verifying the actions taken to safeguard cultural heritage, this project defined the role of immigrant heritage and determined how its preservation in Brazil and Santa Catarina should be carried out. This paper also describes how immigrants and their heritage started being valued in the context of the governmental preservation policy so as to develop a perspective of cultural heritage in Santa Catarina essentially based on ethnic issues.