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

Through a transnational comparative study of colonial-era World Heritage sites in South and Southeast Asia, my dissertation examines diverging approaches to postcolonial nation-building using colonial-era heritage. While all forms of heritage are instrumentalized in furthering nation-building agendas, I argue that the production of colonial-era World Heritage serves three distinct uses for postcolonial societies: to signal modernity, manage ethno-racial politics, and conserve elite privilege. Through this triad of uses, I demonstrate how spatial manifestations of colonial power are coopted by different actors and legitimized through global institutions to further the present-day agendas of postcolonial elites. Considering nation-building through the lens of heritage reveals the lived inequities and power structures of postcolonial societies that are preserved through urban conservation.

Led by: Aarthi Janakiraman (PhD Candidate)

Geography: South and Southeast Asia