Friction or Closure: Heritage as Loss

Heritage narratives often aim to fixate the past, but they frequently exclude or oversimplify complex historical realities. In Stone Town, Zanzibarthis tension is evident as competing accounts of identity, trade, slavery, and tourism clash under the umbrella of 'heritagization.' The study employs Anna Tsing's concept of 'friction' to analyze how diverse narratives—from informants, authorities, and texts—interact, construct, and contest each other. Through her role as a researcher, the author negotiates these conflicting stories, questioning what constitutes valid or invalid accounts. The research reveals that heritage designation, while preserving certain aspects of history, also risks erasing or marginalizing others, particularly in contexts marked by political tension, globalization, and religious shifts like Islamization.

Lundahl, M. (2014). Friction or Closure: Heritage as Loss. Culture Unbound, 6(7), 1299–1318. https://doi.org/10.3384/cu.2000.1525.1461299