My discussion centres on local meanings of colonial heritage buildings, popular history and cultural identity, in a context of rapid urban development. The study site is the town core of Danish-founded Serampore, a suburb to Kolkata, one of the world’s largest metropolitan areas. Based on data mainly relating to my personal engagement in heritage conservation in Serampore, I analyse how once European buildings, and the history they are material manifestations of, are today inscribed in categories of local identity by the area’s citizens. A story of ghosts turned heritage activists introduces the article’s main themes and central arguments.
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Bente Wolff (2020) studied this question.
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