Erin Linn

As Ph.D. candidate at the University of Western Australia, I am researching China’s use of cultural heritage within the context of the Belt Road Initiative. My work explores the emerging concept of shared heritage and how China is creating and operationalizing notions of a shared heritage of the ancient Silk Roads as a strategy of the BRI. I’m interested in understanding how these complex ideas of shared heritage are being received, understood, and/or affecting the lived experiences of communities impacted by BRI. My research interests also include exploring the political uses of heritage and how it can be activated as a tool for social justice. My work is informed by 15 years’ experience in cultural heritage and archaeology in Southeast Asia, Jordan, Israel, Italy, Australia, the US, and the United Kingdom. I hold an MA in Archaeology, MA in Cultural Heritage and am the founder of the non-profit organization, Integrated Heritage Project.