Fates of European Heritage in Post-Colonial Contexts: Political Economy of Memory and Forgetting in Hong Kong
2009; Franz Steiner Verlag; Volume: 97; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.25162/gz-2009-0003
ISSN2365-3124
Autores Tópico(s)Socioeconomic Development in Asia
ResumoWhile heritage is always contested, colonial heritage in post-colonial contexts is particularly sensitive and political. A love-hate relationship with European heritages has generated tactics in selective remembering and forgetting concerning colonial heritage preservation and valorisation in post-colonial societies. Based on an analysis of official documents, tourist promotion materials, newspaper and media reports and site visits, this paper examines the fates of three colonial heritage sites in Hong Kong, namely that of the Marine Police Headquarter Compound, the Star Ferry Pier and Queen’s Pier, and the Central Police Station Compound. The three heritage tales demonstrate how these sites are not merely remains of the city’s colonial past, but lively space where contemporary power struggles are played out, and local identities and interests are negotiated among different players from the state, business communities and the civil society. Together, they also illustrate how colonial heritage is a boxing podium where the citizenry fight for changes in hitherto non-democratic and profit-obsessed planning governance that in itself is also a colonial legacy.
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