THE POLITICS OF HERITAGE, economies, histories, and infrastructures

293pp., illus., maps, paperback, New York & Cape Town, 2015

A collection of essays on how the relics of the past "are shored up, reconstructed, and revalued - as commodities, as tradition, as morality, or as patrimony."

"An insightful collection that examines the work of heritage across a variety of African settings and scales, from village to nation. Going beyond analyses of the role of heritage in nation building and identity formation, it also examines how heritage practice figures in political economics and shapes social relations of power. Following an impressive overview of the politics of heritage in Africa, thoughtful essays focus on cases from South Africa and Ghana. They examine a broad range of cultural forms and practices under the rubric of 'heritage': memorials, monuments, and museums as well as language, performance, film, and more." Corinne Kratz, Emory University

Contributions include:
"Seeing Beyond the Official and the Vernacular: the Duncan Village Massacre Memorial and the politics of heritage in South Africa" by Gary Minkey and Phindezwa Mnyaka
"Human Remains, the Disciplines of the Dead, and the South African Memorial Complex" by Ciraj Rassool
"Heritage vs Heritage: reaching for pre-Zulu identities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa" by Mbongiseni Buthelezi
"Fences, Signs, and Property: heritage, development, and the making of location in Lwandle" by Leslie Witz and Noëleen Murray
"Flashes of Modernity: heritage according to cinema" by Litheko Modisane .

Derek Peterson is Professor of History at the University of Michigan.
Kodzo Gavua is Associate Professor of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Ciraj Rassool is Professor of History and Director of the African Programme in Museum and Heritage Studies at the University of the Western Cape.