Critical heritage and the posthumanities: problems and prospects

Abstract

This paper outlines the main benefits and drawbacks of a posthumanist ontology for the heritage field. Instead of embracing or rejecting posthumanism outright, the paper considers the transformative potential and key limitations of this framework. Two core themes are picked up on here: the first positions posthumanism as that which comes after humanism, while the second decentres the human altogether. While the significance of the former to critical heritage is relatively easy to establish, the implications of the latter are more opaque. Building on critiques put forward by Indigenous scholars and environmental philosophers, the paper acknowledges the shortcomings of any posthuman political project. To look beyond this, the paper engages with the work of feminist philosopher Rosi Braidotti and political theorist William E. Connolly, who offer a concrete set of agendas for heritage to engage with posthumanist thinking. The essay concludes with a discussion of 'planetary stewardship'a concept put forward by Earth Systems scientists and others that demands novel reflections on care, governance and responsibility across human and non-human worlds. A strategic alliance of critical heritage praxis and critical posthumanist thinking may provide a valuable counterpoint to some of the more technocratic solutions imagined for the climate crisis. ARTICLE HISTORY

‘COVID waste’ and social media as method: an archaeology of personal protective equipment and its contribution to policy

“…In the context of post-humanism (e.g. Sterling 2020), ‘naturecultures’ (e.g. Bartolini 2020) and future-oriented perspectives (e.g.…”

Socio-Economic Development, Globalization and the Need for Heritage Policy in Qatar: Case Study

“…Over the last few years, serious heritage scholarships have arisen as a distinct yet diverse sub-field that asks critical questions related to traditional approaches to heritage practice, studies, and theories as an interdisciplinary area (Sterling, 2020). There are key apprehensions related to the democratization of heritage, the positioning of people over things in the management of cultural heritage, a turn to marginalized societies, narratives and cultures in explaining what heritage is and its role in the world.…”

“…There are key apprehensions related to the democratization of heritage, the positioning of people over things in the management of cultural heritage, a turn to marginalized societies, narratives and cultures in explaining what heritage is and its role in the world. This raises certain questions towards the work done in maintaining heritage, which cross into areas such as cultural interpretation, tourism, museology, site and monument management, conservation, archaeological studies, architectural preservation and various more official and unofficial ranges of research and practice (Sterling, 2020;Thomas, 2017). This influences the idea of heritage-fishing critiques that rose during the 1980s and 1990s studies.…”

“…This influences the idea of heritage-fishing critiques that rose during the 1980s and 1990s studies. Such studies viewed heritage as part of a colonizing force, created in Europe and spread all over the world, to drain the past from its historically significant and to simplify cultural heritage (Sterling, 2020). However, thinking analytically about heritage and moving beyond this concept, widens the limitation of heritage knowledge.…”

In and Beyond the Now: A Postscript

“…There will be new issues to explain, new questions to ask and new knowledge and perspectives to share. We could speculate on what they might be, Indigeneity, online spaces, 'planetary stewardship' (Sterling, 2020). We note, for example, the recent public interest in the Spanish Flu as we try to make sense of the present pandemic.…”