Vinicíus Borges Garcia Fonseca is a PhD candidate in the Department of Media and Culture at Utrecht University. His PhD project is entitled ‘Cancelling as a Postcolonial Strategy for Repairing Cultural Heritage’. The project will delve into the meaning and applications of canceling practices within antiracist and decolonial movements. The specific focus is on cancelling as a reparative strategy aimed at addressing the enduring impact of historical injustices in the present. Termed ‘reparative canceling,’ these practices seek to rectify symbols, art, knowledge, cultural heritage, and ingrained cultural norms that are deemed harmful and unjust, thus perpetuating the legacy of colonial history. Specifically, it will scrutinise the foundations, justifications, reparative outcomes, and potential drawbacks of the diverse cancelling strategies employed by contemporary antiracist and decolonial publics to engage with memory and cultural heritage. The project will analyze groups in Latin America, namely in Brazil and Colombia, and in Iberian countries, namely Portugal and Spain. By looking into social mobilization at cultural heritage sites, it will discuss the historical narratives around national history and identity established by the countries, through a multidisciplinary approach. Read more
