Forging Heritage in the Nation-State

Michael Herzfeld is Ernest E. Monrad Research Professor of the Social Sciences in the Department of Anthropology at Harvard University. He is the author of eleven books, the most recent of which was Siege of the Spirits: Community and Polity in Bangkok (2016, University of Chicago Press). He is a former president of the Modern Greek Studies Association and of the Society for the Anthropology of Europe.

• ContentsAcknowledgementsChapter 1. Introducing the Oblivion of Commemoration Chapter 2. Defining Tangibility Chapter 3. The Materiality of Non-Physical Structures Chapter 4. Property and Propriety Chapter 5. Structures and Specters of Heritage Chapter 6. The Political Production of Oblivion Chapter 7. Concluding Without Closure BibliographyIndex

"This highly accessible and erudite book, drawing on Herzfeld’s extensive ethnographic work in Europe and Asia, provides an important and wide-ranging discussion of issues at the core of critical heritage studies, drawing out their implications for engaging with the politics of the nation state." — Laurajane Smith, Centre for Heritage and Museum Studies, Australian National University"It is theoretically rigorous, ethnographically grounded, and makes a substantial contribution to critical heritage studies and political anthropology. The book is based on long-term, in-depth ethnographic research and;demonstrates the author’s deep command of both empirical material and conceptual debates around heritage, power, and nationalism." — Yujie Zhu, Australian National University