National patrimony

National patrimony is the store of wealth or accumulated reserves of a national economy. In addition to monetary reserves and other financial holdings, national patrimony also encompasses a nation's non-monetary wealth or reserves, such as its national monuments, cuisine, and artistic heritage.[1]

National patrimony is related to—but not synonymous with—the concepts of national essence and national heritage. National patrimony more strongly reflects a nation's assets (physical, intellectual, monetary, etc.) than a spirit of cultural unity, although the assets themselves may indeed embody or contribute to such a unifying spirit.

  1. ^ For example, see Sophie Maisonneuve, ‘Between History and Commodity: The Production of A Musical Patrimony through the Record in the 1920-1930’, Poetics, 29 (2001), pp. 89-108; esp. 89-90, 95, 103. For an example from Ireland, see also [1]