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A heritage worker inside a historic building under restoration in Kholm, Afghanistan
Kholm · Afghanistan · Photo CIE / Dilip Banerjee
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Dhakira —
Heritage Justice

An ethical and memory-based framework for contested pasts, silenced histories, recognition and the right to remember.

Cluster 012026–2027

Whose memories are recognised—and who has the right to remember?

Dhakira – Institute for Heritage Justice forms the ethical and conceptual foundation of CIE’s work. It addresses contested memory, silenced histories, heritage rights and the relationship between heritage, justice and social transformation.

The cluster creates space for histories that have been silenced, displaced or contested. It connects research with public dialogue and community knowledge, ensuring that heritage practice begins with voice, dignity and local agency.

A local heritage worker crossing a historic earthen structure in Kholm, Afghanistan

Role in CIE

Justice begins with listening.

Dhakira brings questions of voice, recognition, contested memory and repair into every part of CIE’s work.

It connects with HeritageLab through documentation, Heritage Futures through public and creative formats, Heritage Ecology Journeys through memory in landscapes, and EduHub through learning resources.

Programmes and research

Routes through the cluster

Each route turns questions of heritage justice into dialogue, research, documentation and public exchange.

Seminar seriesActive

Right to Remember

An international seminar and research series on memory, contested heritage, silenced histories and public dialogue.

Explore programme ↗
Research lineDeveloping

Re-emerging Pasts

Research and public work exploring how overlooked histories return, and how communities negotiate recognition and belonging.

Programme enquiry ↗
Future programmeIn development

Militarised Landscapes

A developing programme on conflict landscapes, memory, environmental legacies and public interpretation.

Discuss a collaboration ↗
Legacy programme2020–2021

Our World Heritage

A global civil-society initiative that opened World Heritage debate to communities, young people and less-heard voices.

Explore the programme story ↗
Legacy programme2006–2014

Afghanistan Culture and Development

Museums, exhibitions, community memory and public learning in Kabul and Kholm.

Explore the programme story ↗

2026–2027 focus

What comes next

  • Continue Right to Remember seminars in Amsterdam, Istanbul and new international locations.
  • Develop heritage justice dossiers, case studies and publication material.
  • Connect seminar outputs to HeritageLab documentation and EduHub learning resources.
  • Build partnerships around contested memory, recognition, repair and public interpretation.