Transforming heritage-scapes: politics, visions, and local communities in Kafir Kala, Uzbekistan

In the framework of critical heritage studies, scholarship in geography has emphasised the socio-spatial dimension of heritage-making processes and the relationship between heritage and landscape that led to the conceptualisation of the ‘heritage-scape’. Focusing on Central Asia, this article aims to advance the debate on heritage-scape-making processes by analysing the interplays between institutional heritage politics and the visions and practices of the local community in the Kafir Kala settlement in Uzbekistan. Today, this site is undergoing transformation due to its recognition as UNESCO World Heritage and the international initiative of developing an archaeological park, the first of its kind in Uzbekistan. Data were collected through ethnographic methods. The evidence shows how the Kafir Kala heritage-scape-making process reflects the socio-political legacy of the state, lacking dissent and contestation as voiced by the community while being simultaneously characterised by grassroots, alternative knowledge rooted in everyday socio-spatial practices