Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists

Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
Name	Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
Established	2003 (UNESCO Convention)
Subject	Intangible cultural heritage

Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists

Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists are curated registers documenting living practices, expressions, knowledge, and skills recognized for their cultural significance. They operate at international, regional, national, and local levels involving actors such as UNESCO, UNICEF, UNWTO, World Intellectual Property Organization, and organizations like ICOMOS and ICCROM. These lists intersect with events, institutions, and places including World Heritage Convention, United Nations, European Union, African Union, and ASEAN frameworks.

Overview and Definitions

The concept of intangible cultural heritage draws on precedents including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, and instruments developed by UNESCO specialized bodies such as UNESCO General Conference. Definitions reference communities, practitioners, and bearers cited in documents associated with Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), as debated in forums involving delegations from France, China, Japan, Mexico, Kenya, and Brazil. Practices inscribed often relate to festivals like Carnaval, crafts connected to places such as Kyoto, performances associated with figures like Pina Bausch, and rituals recorded in studies by scholars from institutions like University of Oxford and Harvard University.

International Frameworks and Conventions

The 2003 convention administered by UNESCO established the principal international framework, with operational support from committees comprising representatives from states including India, Turkey, Italy, South Africa, and Canada. Related instruments and policy dialogues interact with treaties and agreements like the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972), and initiatives by bodies such as Council of Europe and Organization of American States. Technical assistance and capacity building have been carried out through partnerships with UNDP, UNESCO-IHE, World Bank, and regional organizations such as ASEAN Cultural Standards and the African Union Commission.

Major Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists

Principal lists established under the UNESCO convention include the Representative List, the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, and the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices; nominations have included entries from China, India, Spain, France, Nigeria, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Turkey, Peru, Colombia, Ethiopia, Italy, Argentina, Russia, Egypt, Morocco, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Belarus, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United States, Chile, Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Barbados, Bahamas, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia', Brunei, Singapore. Other significant regional lists are maintained by bodies such as the Council of Europe and regional museums like the Smithsonian Institution which document practices including folk music, oral traditions, and craftsmanship.

Criteria and Inscription Processes

Inscription follows criteria established by UNESCO committees and national nomination procedures involving ministries and cultural agencies such as Ministry of Culture (France), Ministry of Culture (China), Ministry of Tourism and Culture (Kenya), and institutions like National Endowment for the Arts, British Museum, Louvre Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, Rijksmuseum, State Hermitage Museum. Processes require community consent and documentation prepared by experts linked to universities like University of Cambridge, University of Tokyo, Peking University, University of Cape Town, and research centers such as Max Planck Society and CNRS.

Controversies and Criticisms

Lists have prompted debates involving actors such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, European Court of Human Rights, and scholars from Columbia University, Yale University, and Princeton University over issues like cultural appropriation, politicization by states including China and Russia, commercial exploitation by corporations like Disney, tourism impacts involving TripAdvisor and Airbnb, and disputes over ownership raised by indigenous groups represented through organizations like Survival International and Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact. Legal tensions have engaged institutions such as World Trade Organization and World Intellectual Property Organization regarding intellectual property rights and benefit-sharing.

National and Local Inventories

Many countries maintain national inventories overseen by agencies such as Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH), National Commission for Culture and the Arts (Philippines), National Heritage Board (Singapore), National Centre for Traditional Arts (Taiwan), Smithsonian Institution Folkways, and provincial or municipal bodies including Municipality of Kyoto and City of Oaxaca. Local museums, cultural centers, and NGOs like Ashoka compile community registries documenting crafts, oral epics, culinary traditions, performing arts, and festivals such as Inti Raymi, Holi, Semana Santa, Obon, Dia de los Muertos, and practices linked to figures like Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

Preservation, Transmission, and Safeguarding Measures

Safeguarding measures involve education programs at institutions such as Juilliard School, Royal College of Music, Beijing Central Conservatory of Music, apprentice schemes modeled on guilds like the Gilds of Florence, and public initiatives run by ministries in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Iceland. Funding and technical support come from sources including UNESCO World Heritage Fund, European Commission, Ford Foundation, Gates Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and partnerships with museums like the British Museum and Smithsonian Institution. Digital safeguarding efforts engage platforms and archives such as Europeana, Digital Public Library of America, YouTube, and consortiums involving Library of Congress and Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Category:Cultural heritage