Negotiating postcolonial legacies: shifting conservation narratives and residual colonial built heritage in Ireland

Parkinson, Arthur; Scott, Mark; Redmond, Declan

doi:10.3828/tpr.2015.13

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 40 publications

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“…Protection of the architectural legacies of modern European colonialism in the non-Western world is a contested issue. In part, this is because these buildings are associated negatively with the era of colonialism, but also because they are considered modern, hence not a conservation priority (Lagae, 2004; Parkinson et al , 2015; van Roosmalen, 2003, 2013). Amongst the topics that have received scant research attention is the conservation state of ecclesiastical buildings erected for and by the indigenous communities in the then newly Christianized colonial territories.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Safeguarding the colonial era's ecclesiastical heritage: towards a sustainable protection-use model

Sabri

Olagoke²

2020

JCHMSD

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the current conservation state of colonial-era ecclesiastical buildings in Yorubaland (South-Western Nigeria) and the mechanics of their upkeep. The article also discusses the parameters of formulating a balanced protection-use model for the management of these buildings.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining participatory observations and documentation, semi-structured interviews and the review of church compendiums. Forty-four church buildings were identified and surveyed, and sixty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted.FindingsA gradual change in how communities value colonial-era churches in contrast to other structures with ecclesiastical legacies has been identified. The challenges and threats to their protection are investigated, revealing a variety of contextual constraints in the current management structure, which prioritizes the expansion of useful space over the conservation of the original fabric, often resulting in extreme modifications. However, there are also opportunities in the current system that could be mobilized to resource a self-sustaining conservation management practice, based on a mutually developed protection-use balance.Originality/valueHeritage policy has not directly addressed the management of ecclesiastical buildings erected during the modern colonial era. This paper is the first in-depth investigation of colonial-era religious structures in the Nigerian context, and one of the few, if not the first, in a former African colonial nation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%