Contributors to this special issue explore the politics of industrial heritage in the aftermath of ongoing deindustrialization. From the shifting class position of heritage professionals under capitalism to the consensual politics of industrial heritage discourse itself, the contributors shine a critical light on the subject at hand. As Cathy Stanton notes here, there is an urgent need to understand better what industrial heritage is actually doing in practice and on the ground. By widening the interpretative frame beyond the confines of the heritage site, the contributors move away from the physical remains of lost industry and narrow issues of representation and consider the socioeconomic legacies, consequences, and inheritances of lost industry for those left behind.