On problems of the ‘double standard’ when localising critical heritage studies in China

With the introduction of Critical Heritage Studies (CHS) in China, a double standard has emerged regarding understanding the authorised heritage discourse (AHD) domestically and abroad. Some researchers are generally critical of Eurocentric conceptions of heritage, while only partially abandoning criticism of authoritarian ideology and unequal social structures when confronted with problems in local official heritage practices. The paper outlines two common theoretical positions for dealing with this double standard: One is ‘rejecting’ or ‘reconsidering’ the AHD concept on the grounds of the specific Chinese context, arguing that the local official heritage discourse, unlike that of ‘the West’, is useful and able to engage with the community. The other is to achieve a de-politicised CHS by emphasising ‘pure’ interaction processes in heritage practices, moving towards loosely structured social relations between stakeholders with plural values. This paper explores the irrationality of these two positions, arguing that they ignore, to varying degrees, the structural constraints of promoting public participation of underprivileged groups in the Chinese context. It raises concerns about how the CHS approach can practically benefit social justice rather than being appropriated when working with epistemologies of heritage in different cultural, language and political contexts.