(Re)centring Excavation Sites as Historic(al) Heritage: Exploring the Memory, Interpretation, and Digital Technologies Nexus at Adichanallur and Korkai

As heritage scholars and professionals, we observe the (re)centring of excavation sites as historic(al) heritage, by ascribing them with contemporary understandings of urbanism. This paper explores the process at the sites of Adichanallur and Korkai, southern Tamil Nadu, through an interdisciplinary lens to address the three key questions: How is the process unfolding, what tools do the social actors call upon and what might the (unintended) social consequences and spatial disjunctures be. We draw upon ethnographic vignettes, print and online media sources to discuss the role of memories, museums, and digital technologies in promising but not always delivering a history for all. We call upon the three central tenets of heritage, namely materiality, temporality, and spatiality to frame our analyses and present an alternative approach to interpretation that is in keeping with the socially inclusive aims of heritage-related disciplines.