Heritage in Practice: Cultivating Critical Reflection and Intercultural Communication in Bonaire

Abstract

A critical turn in heritage studies that integrates nonexpert (including colonial) voices presents significant didactic and educational challenges. How do we teach heritage practices in an intercultural, and previously colonial, context? The project Making Bonairean Heritage Together was designed as a showcase to equip students with essential skills for engaging in collaborative, intercultural heritage practices, particularly through cocreation and collaboration with external partners and communities in an international context. These skills are crucial in an increasingly decolonizing field of practice. This article outlines the students’ intercultural experiences and the project’s structure, objectives, and lessons learned. By analyzing students’ voices in developing intercultural competencies, cultural reflexivity, and awareness of intercultural heritage practices, we seek to contribute to research on heritage education in an intercultural and decolonial context.