COSMOLOGICAL MARKINGS AND ERASURES: The Political Theology of State‐Led Gentrification and Heritagization

This article investigates the symbolic politics of state-led gentrification andheritagization, focusing on how these processes serve to ‘glorify’ state power. Drawingon Agamben’s political theology, Bourdieu’s notion of symbolic power and space, andpolitical heritage studies, we argue that the symbolic politics of state glorification candrive state-led gentrification. In addition to an emphasis on symbolic impositions, thispolitical-theological perspective can illuminate how the internal logics of state powershape urban space and social order. Our multi-method study of the reconstruction of thefortress around the Yogyakarta Kraton in Indonesia shows how the construction of heritagere-territorializes state authority while legitimizing development and displacement. Theproject, tied to UNESCO World Heritage designation, facilitates tourism and gentrificationwhile reinforcing the Sultanate’s dual role as cultural and governmental leader. Our studyseeks to contribute to debates on urban heritage, state authority in gentrification, and thelogic underpinning redevelopment and displacement in heritage areas.