Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the formation of heritage activism in contemporary Iran. The paper draws on the growing field data which suggests the presence of a nascent form of heritage movement in the country. Understanding this movement requires a new outlook thus far under-explored in heritage theories.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the emerging activism in the field of heritage in Iran. There is a strong institutional bond between sanctioned interpretations of heritage and state institutions as through those interpretations a sanctioned collective identity and culture are represented, propagated and proliferated. However, the official strand is but one interpretation of cultural heritage. Since the 1990s, there has been a slowly-emerging activism in the field of heritage. Much of this activism is in the form of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which are at once regulated and yet sustain a critical engagement with the state heritage apparatuses. Heritage activists share some frames of reference with the state, including ideas of nation-state and territorial integrity. These activists produce critical and alternative interpretations of heritage. They have actively promoted their goals and have at times engaged in controversies surrounding heritage. Focussing on data emerging from recent fieldwork, this paper attempts to conceptualise the workings of heritage activism.

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