ONTOLOGICAL POLITICS OF HERITAGE: PRESERVATION AND MANAGEMENT THROUGH THE LENS OF HYPEROBJECTS AND OBJECT-ORIENTED ONTOLOGY

Abstract

The article presents a radical reconsideration of the foundations of contemporary cultural and natural heritage preservation policies, with a focus on the historic center of St. Petersburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. By analyzing global crises (ecological, anthropogenic, governance-related) and the fragmentation of discourse -supported by scientometric data and empirical case studies (St. Petersburg, Mosul, Cuenca) - the study reveals the systemic failure of traditional approaches that ignore the fundamental ontology of heritage in historic urban centers. The authors propose a synthesis of hyperobject theory (T. Morton) and object-oriented ontology (G. Harman), supplemented by a historical analysis of Soviet museology (M. Silina). This synthesis leads to an original theory of heritage as possessing external and internal form (analogous to the external and internal form of a word) - a complex and non-obvious system that contradicts instrumentalist understandings of heritage. Heritage is conceptualized as a hyperobject: a distributed, ungraspable network of interacting human and non-human actors whose value is always mediated. Ignoring this ontology leads to conflicts and inefficiency. The article develops a model of ontological heritage politics, based on principles such as: Recognition of hyperobjectivity, Ontological equality of actors, Inevitability of mediation, Politics of unknowing, Aesthetic diplomacy, Governance as assemblage. Practical tools are introduced, including: Interaction Protocols, Aesthetic Mediators, Public Heritage Laboratories. The study also employs a theatrical-metaphorical lens to reinterpret the historic city center and its “Petersburg-ness” as art. By bridging theoretical and practical gaps, the article offers a sustainable alternative to technocratic and ideologically driven heritage preservation paradigms.