History 492MF - S- Monuments Must Fall

This course is an introduction to the politics of heritage. Heritage sites, monuments and museums are frequently sites of controversy as various groups with different and often conflicting experiences contest interpretations of the past. We will focus on the major themes, ideas and debates shaping the theoretical and methodological frameworks for studying heritage. We will critically examine the ways in which the slave trade, slavery, colonialism, nationalism, apartheid, conflict and independence impact heritage. Through a series of case studies we will examine the historical, political, social and cultural contexts in which nations, communities and individuals assert their rights through heritage.