‘Life after progress’: Near-Industrial commons and heritage-making in eastern Sicily

Traversing a space along the Simeto River, in southeastern Sicily, this article explores responses to and engagement in processes of commoning and heritagization through ecomuseums. Through an ethnographic analysis of interviews, collectively made maps, industrial features in the landscape, and Simeto Ecomuseum itineraries, we explore how participants in the Simeto Ecomuseum articulate and (re)organize boundaries and histories to give new meaning to territories that have oscillated between industrial development, abandonment, and environmental degradation. We argue that collective recognition and experiences of both places of affection and places under threat are key to heritage-making and commoning processes. Despite limitations of translating the ecomuseum ideal into broader socio-structural changes, such experiences offer a window into the everyday possibilities of life after progress.