The coloniality of folklorization

This article develops the concept of coloniality of folklorization to explain how subordinated peoples are converted from political collectivities into administrable cultural difference. The concept denotes a mode of governance in which cultural recognition is detached from coequal political standing and helps contain claims concerning land, language, and varying forms of political self-determination or sovereign authority. Instead of opposing recognition to coercion or treating heritage as inherently oppressive, the article examines their variable conjunction. It identifies seven connected operations: classification, certification, festivalization, participation capture, iconization, temporal distancing, and appropriation. These operations are examined comparatively through the cases of the Kurds in Iran, the Amazigh in Morocco, the Uyghurs in China, and Kashmir under Indian rule. The article also examines how performers and communities negotiate, appropriate, and contest authorized cultural forms. It thereby brings decolonial critique into conversation with folklore and heritage studies while offering cultural policy research a framework to distinguish cultural visibility from political parity.