The Intangible and the Tangible (original) (raw)
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Slovenský národopis / Slovak Ethnology
As the Faroe Islands ratified the 2003 UNESCO Convention in 2018 and immediately began to develop a National Inventory, the Faroese Ministry of Culture appointed “expert” representatives of the National Museum and the University of the Faroese Islands for a small assisting committee tasked with assessing and possibly editing proposals for the inventory. The present article is based on reflections from an insider perspective of the process, as the author is one of the members participating in the preparations. The various “candidates” submitted for the inventory are presented and discussed in relation to the analyses of the parliament debates preceding the ratification and media coverage before and after the Convention was passed in the Faroese Parliament. How and by whom is the inventory formed in theory and in practice? What is the appropriate role of scholars in the process? The article suggests that the participation of academic experts as “gatekeepers” of inventories can be used...
Beyond Binarism Exploring a Model of Living Cultural Heritage for Dance
2016
This essay, inspired by the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, explores meanings and definitions of the term ‘cultural heritage’ as it may be applied to dance. UNESCO’s effort to include many different types of human expressions in its lists is commendable and an important attempt to safeguard the aspects of the world’s cultural heritage. However, the binary oppositions of ‘tangible’/’intangible’, frequently used to describe material and immaterial elements of culture and heritage create a false dichotomy. This label is particularly problematic for dance, given its complex, multi-dimensional nature in which intangible and tangible elements are indissolubly linked. Instead, we suggest an alternative perspective of ‘living cultural heritage’ which is informed by three post-dualist conceptions contained within Giddens’ Structuration theory (structure-agency), Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology (mind-body) and Bourdieu’s theory of cultural practice (field-practice-habitus). This essay introduces the idea of a living cultural heritage by using the above post-dualist concepts as a stepping stone towards a more inclusive and fluid model of heritage. In this model, the cultural, embodied, practical, spatial, temporal and artefactual elements of cultural heritage are retained as each contributes to an emergent process of exchange and dialogue resulting in cultural heritage.
Intangible Heritage as a Festival; or Folklorization Revisited
Journal of American Folklore, 2018
Looking at examples of cultural practices listed by UNESCO as intangible heritage, this article appropriates the term “folklorization” from authenticity discourses and argues that the current heritagization of social practices is an aspect of the infusion of folkloristic/ethnological knowledge, perspectives, and concepts into the public sphere as part of modernity’s reflexivity. Aptly named “folklorization,” this infusion marks the success of the field in what has always been its ultimate objective: to change the way people look at their own culture, the way they define it, and the way they practice it.
Heritage 2018, 2018
The interrelation between intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and social sustainable development is often emphasized but rarely empirically proven or theoretically elaborated. In this contribution, both is pursued by using a Bourdieusian approach for the conceptualization of ICH as cultural capital and by introducing a case study in which the social effects of ICH practices are assessed. It turns out that heritage communities consist of individuals who possess the same type of heritage-related cultural capital which they acquire through processes of incorporation.This means, by practicing ICH, external social structures are internalized, through which individual and group identities are formed and social cohesion is fostered. Beyond that the individuals of a heritage community form several sub-groups who distinguish themselves from each other in their ways of practicing, valuing and interpreting ICH. The different ways to appropriate a heritage element are associated with the social backgrounds of the heritage practitioners. In combination, the theoretical approach and the case study show that ICH practices can contribute to both, social cohesion and social distinction. Therefore, it is suggested to integrate this twofold social effect into development strategies in order to systematically utilize ICH for the advancement of social sustainability.
Sharing Cultures, Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Intangible Heritage, 2017
The 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage generated a rich body of scientific literature. The " intangible cultural heritage " concept became widely used and unanimously accepted by scholars who conducted research and wrote papers in the heritage field. Despite this, the difference between customs and practices of local communities and the safeguarding/management of these cultural forms that create the premises of their transformation in " a mark of human identity and a treasure of humankind " (" Text of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage-Intangible Heritage-Culture Sector-UNESCO " 2017), was not clearly drawn. Authors like Kristin Kuutma emphasized the fact that intangible heritage " emerges from the nexus of politics and power " (Kuutma 2013:3) and became part of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural List through the involvement of international and national organizations and institutions. However, other authors use the term " intangible cultural heritage " to refer to certain cultural forms that are not currently subject to any safeguarding processes and policies. Based on field research conducted in rural Romania and Ukraine, I make a clear distinction between local cultural forms and the safeguarding practices that transform them into intangible cultural heritage. The local peasant culture is still vivid in these areas and has a clear meaning and significance for practitioners and their local villagers-spectators. Moreover, the participation of these local practitioners in national and international folklore festivals, conceived of by political authorities as safeguarding events of local and national culture, is sometimes perceived by villagers in a negative light. They view these events as degenerate expressions of local customs that belong to a village community and cannot be reproduced outside its borders.
2019
This research is concerned with the 2003 UNESCO Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage, which allows the inscription of activities such as performing arts, skills and traditions into the UNESCO world cultural heritage lists. One practice potentially worthy of consideration for such recognition is raqs sharqi (‘oriental dance’ in Arabic; a style of bellydance), originating in Egypt in the 1920s and now practised worldwide. Egyptian raqs sharqi, in this thesis, is examined in a way that centralises the question of how such forms of heritage are embodied and transmitted by people (within and across cultures) via their practices, experiences and traditions. The aim is to identify the cultural heritage characteristics of Egyptian raqs sharqi and evaluate if it can be considered heritage and how it locates itself within the field of ICH. In pursuing this aim, this thesis explores the challenges involved in safeguarding Egyptian raqs sharqi as transcultural, living and embodied heritage, whilst critically examining the suitability of separating cultural heritage into tangible and intangible forms. A multidisciplinary, dialogical and holistic framework for dance/heritage is constructed, connecting dance theory, philosophically influenced sociology (particularly the nondualistic theories of Merleau-Ponty, Bourdieu and Giddens) and cultural heritage studies. An ethnochoreological approach and a qualitative methodology are adopted, analysing formal aspects of dance (including movements and artefacts) and its socio-cultural context, using: analysis of online videos of dance and textual sources; online ethnography and one-to-one interviews. The result is a reconstruction of Egyptian raqs sharqi history and the current discourse around it. What emerges is a holistic, ever-evolving phenomenon that develops through the interaction of transculturality, tangible and intangible elements and dialectic between individual agency and social structures, change and tradition. These elements influence the authenticity discourse, heritage transmission, threats and opportunities for its safeguarding. Subsequently, a dynamic approach, with four interdependent stages (heritage identification, curation, sharing and promotion) is suggested for its safeguarding. As people are central to this type of heritage, the involvement of members of the public is strongly encouraged, at every stage, through public engagement initiatives.