Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Name	Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Established	2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
Administered by	UNESCO
Location	Paris

Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is the body of living traditions, practices, expressions, knowledge, and skills recognized for their cultural significance and continuity across communities, including oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge concerning nature and the universe, and craftsmanship. The concept guides international efforts to document, protect, promote, and transmit cultural expressions associated with communities, linking global institutions, nation-states, and local practitioners through normative frameworks and inventories.

Definition and Scope

The term denotes living heritage elements identified under the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and related instruments administered by UNESCO, contrasting with material heritage protected by entities such as the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the World Heritage Committee. Elements include oral traditions associated with figures like Griot in West Africa, performance genres exemplified by Kabuki and Flamenco, ritual calendars such as Inti Raymi and Obon, and craftsmanship traditions like Lacquerware and Navajo rug weaving. The scope also covers communal knowledge systems linked to places like Mount Fuji and festivals associated with cities such as Venice and Istanbul, and draws on expertise from organizations like the International Music Council and the International Council of Museums.

History and Development

The modern policy lineage begins with cultural instruments developed by UNESCO and precedents such as the Universal Declaration of Cultural Diversity and earlier cultural conventions shaping practice. Debates at conferences involving delegations from France, Japan, Egypt, Mexico, India, and Brazil led to the 2003 Convention negotiated in Paris, influenced by earlier meetings hosted by the Council of Europe and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Early adopters included national lists established by ministries in Italy, South Korea, China, Spain, and Ghana, while scholars from institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, the Sorbonne, the School of Oriental and African Studies, and the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology contributed theoretical frameworks. International campaigns featured collaborations with organizations such as the World Intellectual Property Organization and the International Labour Organization.

UNESCO's Convention and Lists

The 2003 Convention created mechanisms including the Representative List, the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, and the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices, administered by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage based in Paris. Inscribed elements range from Flamenco (Spain), Nô (Japan), Samba de Roda (Brazil), Peking Opera (China), Tango (Argentina/Uruguay), Hula (Hawaii), to crafts like French gastronomy and Turkish coffee culture and tradition. The Convention operates alongside initiatives by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and funding mechanisms involving actors such as the European Commission and bilateral cultural agencies from Canada and Norway.

Safeguarding Measures and Policies

Safeguarding actions promoted under the Convention include documentation projects by archives like the British Library and the Bibliothèque nationale de France, community-based transmission programs supported by ministries in Senegal, Vietnam, Peru, and Morocco, and educational initiatives in partnership with universities such as Harvard University, University of Tokyo, University of Cape Town, and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Policies commonly involve inventories, capacity building with nongovernmental organizations like ICR and the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage, legal protection aligning with standards discussed at the World Intellectual Property Organization, and emergency safeguarding similar in principle to measures adopted after disasters affecting Lalibela and Kathmandu Valley. Funding and technical assistance have been provided by foundations such as the Ford Foundation and the Japan Foundation.

Regional and National Implementation

Regional bodies and national administrations implement the Convention through legislation, registries, and partnership programs: examples include national inventories maintained by agencies in South Korea (the Cultural Heritage Administration), Japan (Agency for Cultural Affairs), France (Ministry of Culture), Peru (Ministry of Culture), and Ethiopia. Regional cooperation occurs via forums like the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO, the African Union, the Council of Europe, and thematic networks connecting institutions such as the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations and the National Folk Museum of Korea. Local stakeholders—guilds in Fez, troupes in Seville, and confraternities in Lisbon—often collaborate with municipal authorities in cities such as Istanbul, Kraków, Valparaiso, and Beijing.

Controversies and Criticisms

Critiques involve debates over state-centered inscription processes contested by communities in contexts like Western Sahara, Kashmir, and indigenous territories represented by groups such as the Sámi and Maori. Scholars from institutions including the University of Cambridge and University of Oxford have argued that commercialization, touristic appropriation in locales like Venice and Barcelona, and bureaucratic listing driven by ministries in Russia and China can distort living practices. Other controversies concern intellectual property disputes mediated by the World Intellectual Property Organization, tensions between national prestige and local custodianship observed in cases involving Tango and Kabuki, and challenges of safeguarding intangible heritage amid crises as seen after the Haiti earthquake and conflicts affecting regions like Syria and Iraq.

Category:Cultural heritage