Repurposing Colonialism: The politics of World Heritage production in postcolonial nation-states

This project examines the instrumentalization of colonial-era heritage for nation-building in postcolonial contexts through the production of World Heritage. Despite an ardent pursuit of progress as an independent nation-state, many nations use World Heritage status to highlight colonial heritage, raising the question: what opportunities does the inscription of colonial-era heritage offer to postcolonial societies? I examine this issue through a transnational comparative study of four urban cases in the Indian Ocean region.

Led by: Aarthi Janakiraman (PhD Candidate)

Geography: South and Southeast Asia