From Sacred to Secular: Collaborative Spatial Transformation and Community Agency in Mongolia’s Post-Socialist Buddhist Heritage Sites of Mongolia

Abstract

This research develops a theoretical framework of “collaborative spatial transformation” to examine how Mongolian Buddhist communities actively negotiate the conversion of sacred spaces into heritage sites in post-socialist contexts. Through comparative analysis of Choijin Lama Temple Museum, Dashchoilon Monastery, and Geser Temple, we reveal how communities maintain “custodial sovereignty”—spiritual authority exercised through ritual knowledge, community recognition, and adaptive stewardship—while engaging with heritage regimes. Based on 180 days of fieldwork, 54 interviews (including 22 Mongolian community members), and collaborative ethnographic methods, this study demonstrates how religious spaces undergo transformation not through simple state imposition but through complex negotiations involving community agency, international heritage partnerships, and Mongolia’s strategic “third neighbor policy.” Findings challenge binary sacred-secular distinctions, revealing how communities create hybrid practices that serve both spiritual and heritage functions simultaneously while maintaining cultural sovereignty in globalized heritage frameworks.