Heritage, Culture and Politics in the Postcolony

Herwitz, director of the University of Michigan%E2%80%99s Institute for the Humanities, excavates the concept of "heritage" in postcolonial societies, specifically India, South Africa, and America in this convincing and provocative study. Herwitz (The Star as Icon: Celebrity in the Age of Mass Consumption) theorizes that postcolonies practice "live action heritage," constantly reimagining and rebranding their own heritages toward a variety of political and aesthetic ends. Through the lens of his revelatory introductory essay, Herwitz explores five divergent examples of these "heritage games:" in an India newly freed from British control, a group of artists struggle to invent modern Indian art, combining their vibrant culture with European modernism. In post-apartheid South Africa, exciting and problematic "national narratives" emerge in the wake of the Afrikaner cultural monolith perpetuated by apartheid. In the chapter on the United States, Herwitz%E2%80%99s work takes on a more topical, left-leaning tone, exploring the media as the site for "restaging heritage in American politics," particularly in the cases of Obama and Palin in 2008. Navigating Herwitz%E2%80%99s syntactical contortions and glut of information and references makes for athletic reading, but yields rewarding results for disciplined readers and students of the subject. Photos & illus. (Sept.)