Aholi So is a PhD Candidate and a Sinologist by training. His interests lies in the continuity and sustainability of minority cultural heritage practices, in particular contested and “endangered” heritage. He examines how Dutch practitioners of Chinese descents exercise agency in shaping Sinitic cultural heritage language practices in the contemporary Netherlands.

Heritage practices are passed down across generations, yet each transmission is unique. These practices carry meaning for individuals, communities, and nations, but they are also interpreted differently by others. Understanding these differences helps us see how heritage can both connect and divide social groups. Through my research, I aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of these dynamics and to bring people closer together in conversations about heritage. I examine the dynamics that shape the continuity of cultural heritage at the individual level and am particularly interested in how practitioners of minority cultural heritage practices in the Netherlands navigate their everyday environments and sustain their traditions in the present day.

Heritage is inherently contested: present‑day actors and institutions often promote particular interpretations of the past, shaping the conditions under which people can practise and transmit their heritage. Within these circumstances, practitioners themselves make decisions about what their heritage will look like in the future. The form of heritage I am examining is linguistic heritage, with a focus on the agentive role of its practitioners. In my current research, I explore how Dutch practitioners of Chinese descents understand and engage with their linguistic heritage, and how this shapes their sense of identity in light of the prominence of Mandarin Chinese and the People’s Republic of China.

By centring the perspectives of the practitioners themselves and the challenges they face, my work aims to inform heritage professionals and policymakers, while empower voices that have long been underrepresented in public and academic discourse. I believe this will contribute to ongoing discussions about safeguarding cultural heritage, social cohesion, and the role of heritage in diverse societies such as the Netherlands.