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The article starts from a basic observation: the phenomena of patrimonialization are increasing and they now cover all kinds of realities. In this context, alongside traditional research on heritage issues, they invite to develop what is known in the Anglo-Saxon world of research as “heritage studies”, with particular emphasis on the critical dimension of cultural heritage research. The latter must no longer seek to establish, consolidate or preserve existing heritage, but to question what constitutes patrimony and the reasons why actors mobilize and tend to impose a symbolic value on an object, a practice or a custom, not without profit.