On decolonising heritage law: a plea for a structural approach and a tentative proposal

Giorgallis, Andreas 2026. On decolonising heritage law: a plea for a structural approach and a tentative proposal. International Journal of Heritage Studies 10.1080/13527258.2026.2675711

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Abstract

Appeals to ‘decolonise’ heritage law have gained increasing prominence, encompassing museum reform, the restitution of colonial cultural objects and the reconfiguration of public space. Yet despite its ubiquity, decolonisation remains conceptually diffuse and frequently undertheorised within heritage law and heritage studies. This article argues that prevailing approaches often frame decolonisation as a series of discrete corrective interventions, rather than as a challenge to the structural foundations through which heritage is constituted and governed. Drawing on decolonial theory, critical legal studies and critical heritage scholarship, it advances a structural approach that interrogates the epistemic, ontological and normative assumptions through which heritage is defined, valued and governed. It contends that unless the enduring colonial architectures embedded in these frameworks are addressed, decolonisation risks remaining symbolic rather than transformative. Ultimately, the article calls for heritage law otherwise, and potentially heritage studies otherwise, as projects of epistemic justice and structural renewal.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Cardiff Law & Politics
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/, Start Date: 2026-05-21
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis Group
ISSN:	1352-7258
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	1 June 2026
Date of Acceptance:	13 May 2026
Last Modified:	01 Jun 2026 11:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/187334

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