Colonial today : editorial

Across the world, colonialism produced a substantial built legacy that in many cases continues to mark post-colonial urban landscapes. This theme issue addresses the ambivalences surrounding the position of colonial architecture as heritage in the present day, questioning the common assumption that architecture produced under colonial rule constitutes, by definition, a “dissonant heritage”. Presenting cases that highlight the myriad ways in which colonial architecture is re-used, re-appropriated, embraced and at times contested, the contributions gathered here argue for the important role research in architectural history has to play not only in re-situating edifices in the historical contexts that produced them, but also in unpacking the contemporary narratives constructed or even “invented” about colonial built heritage