A law for milongas: social participation, cultural heritage and public policies

Abstract

A central aspect in contemporary safeguarding processes is given by the protagonism and participation that different subjects and groups of civil society acquire (local communities, cultural movements, civil associations, NGOs) in the activation and management of cultural heritage. In this regard, different investigations indicate a tense and complex relationship between this social participation and the field of cultural heritage. In this article I propose to reflect on the forms of involvement and political strategies carried out by a movement of milonga`s organizers that emerged in the city of Buenos Aires. Starting from an ethnographic investigation, I will try to contextualize the fields of tension that have been deployed around the milongas and the tango dance spaces that function in the city. Specifically, I am interested in analyzing the work of formulating a public policy in order to explore certain problems linked to the participation of cultural actors and movements that are placed at the forefront of certain demands in defense of cultural heritage. More specifically, I will refer to the process of construction and materialization of a law – sanctioned in 2016 – from which it seeks to promote the activity carried out by the Buenos Aires milongas.