Decolonizing Heritage in the Global South: The Role of Southern Epistemologies

Abstract

This article examines the potential of epistemologies of the South to serve as a framework for decolonizing heritage. Northern epistemologies, decolonial critics argue, have historically marginalized non-Western knowledge systems through three interrelated limitations: reductionism, in their exclusion of non-Western knowledge as irrational; racism, in their classification of non-Europeans according to racial-hierarchical standards; and universalism, in their persistent efforts to impose their trajectories globally. In response to this critique, epistemologies of the South offer a constructive alternative by seeking to resurrect the theories, approaches, and epistemes suppressed by colonial powers. Drawing on close textual analysis of key figures—including Mignolo, Santos, and al-Jabri—this article investigates how a critical engagement with heritage, defined as the legacy inherited by the Global South can empower struggles against coloniality, imperiality, and dependency. The article concludes that epistemologies of the South not only provide an alternative representation that challenges hegemonic narratives but also contribute meaningfully to ongoing struggles for epistemic justice. In doing so, it contributes to broader debates on pluralizing knowledge within the Global South.