The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage[4] defines the intangible cultural heritage as the practices, representations, expressions, as well as the knowledge and skills (including instruments, objects, artifacts,cultural spaces), that communities, groups, and, in some cases, individuals, recognize as part of their cultural heritage. It is sometimes called living cultural heritage, and is manifested in the following domains, among others:[5]
Oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage;
Performing arts;
Social practices, rituals and festive events;
Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe;
Traditional craftsmanship
A painting on an ancient Greek vase depicts a music lesson (c. 510 BC)
Cultural heritage in general consists of the products and processes of aculture that are preserved and passed on through the generations.[6] Some of that heritage takes the form ofcultural property, formed by tangible artefacts such as buildings or works of art. Many parts of culture, however are intangible, includingsong,music,dance,drama,skills, cuisine, sport,[7] crafts, and festivals. These are forms of culture that can be recorded but cannot be touched or stored in physical form, like in a museum, but only experienced through a vehicle giving expression to it. Such cultural vehicles are called "Human Treasures" by theUN. The protection of languages, as the largest and most important intangible cultural heritage, should also be mentioned in this context. According toKarl von Habsburg, former President of Blue Shield International, protection of languages is important in the age of identity wars, because language in particular can become a target for attack as a symbolic cultural asset.[8]
According to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) – or living heritage – is the mainspring of humanity'scultural diversity and its maintenance a guarantee for continuing creativity. It is defined as follows:
Intangible Cultural Heritage means the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artifacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. This intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity. For the purposes of this Convention, consideration will be given solely to such intangible cultural heritage as is compatible with existing international human rights instruments, as well as with the requirements of mutual respect among communities, groups and individuals, and of sustainable development.
Intangible cultural heritage is slightly different from the discipline oforal history, the recording, preservation and interpretation of historical information (specifically,oral tradition), based on the personal experiences and opinions of the speaker. ICH attempts to preserve cultural heritage 'with' the people or community by protecting the processes that allowtraditions and shared knowledge to be passed on while oral history seeks to collect and preserve historical information obtained from individuals and groups.[citation needed]
Withsustainable development gaining momentum as a priority of UNESCO heritage policies, an increasing number of food-related nominations are being submitted for inscription on the lists of the convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage.[10] TheMediterranean diet,[11] the traditionalMexican cuisine and the Japanese dietary culture ofwashoku are some examples of this.[citation needed]
Tango, an example of a cultural heritage shared between two countries, Argentina and Uruguay.
The UNESCO lists of intangible cultural heritage also include a variety of dance genres, often associated with singing, music and celebrations, from all over the world. The lists include: celebratory andritual dances such as Ma'di bowl lyre music andSebiba dance from Algeria and dance from Uganda andKalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan from India, andsocial dances such asCuban rumba. Also, some dances are localized and practiced mainly in their country of origin, such asSankirtana, a performing art that includes drumming and singing, from India.[citation needed]
Other dance forms,[13] however, even if they are officially recognized as heritage from their country of origin, are practiced and enjoyed all over the world. For example,flamenco from Spain andtango, from Argentina and Uruguay, have an international dimension. Dance is a complex phenomenon, which involves culture, traditions, the use of human bodies, artefacts (such as costumes and props), as well as a specific use of music, space and sometimes light. As a result, a lot of tangible and intangible elements[14] are combined within dance, making it a challenging but interesting type of heritage to safeguard.[citation needed]
Digital heritage is a representation of heritage in the digital realm and is a sub-category of Intangible Cultural Heritage.[16] It refers primarily to the use ofdigital media in the service of preservingcultural ornatural heritage.[17][18][19] Examples of this include mapping of intangible heritage phenomena, such as folk beliefs linked to the supernatural beings.[20]
Kabaddi, atraditional Indian game which has become increasingly popular around the world.UNESCO promotes TSG as a form of "intangible cultural heritage", and had a dedicated TSG Advisory Committee.[21][22] Four Collective Consultation Meetings: 2006 in Paris, 2009 in Teheran, 2017 in Paris have been held so far by UNESCO, with the fourth one in 2018 in Istanbul gathering more than 82 participants from 40 countries.[23]
Albanian polyphonic group fromSkrapar wearingqeleshe and fustanella
Intangible cultural heritage is passed orally within a community, and while there may be individuals who are known tradition bearers, ICH is often broader than one individual's own skills or knowledge. A 2006 report by the government ofNewfoundland and Labrador said, regarding oral culture in their area, "The processes involved in the continuation of this traditional knowledge constitute one of the most interesting aspects of our living heritage. Each member of the community possesses a piece of the shared knowledge.[24] Crucial knowledge is passed on during community activities, frequently without any conscious attention to the process."[25]
In 2003 UNESCO adopted the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. This went into effect on 20 April 2006. The Convention recommends that countries and scholars develop inventories of ICH in their territory, as well as work with the groups who maintain these ICH to ensure their continued existences; it also provides for funds to be voluntarily collected among UNESCO members and then disbursed to support the maintenance of recognized ICH.[27] UNESCO has also created other intangible culture programs, such as a list called Proclamation ofMasterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. This list began in 2001 with 19 items and a further 28 were listed in 2003 and another 43 in 2005. In part, the original list was seen as a way to correct the imbalance in the World Heritage List, since it excluded many Southern Hemisphere cultures which did not produce monuments or other physical cultural manifestations.[27] It was superseded in 2008 by theUNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.[citation needed]
According to academic Yi Sun publishing in 2024, "China has played an increasingly dynamic role in energizing" the Intangible Cultural Heritage Cooperation program.[28]: 157
Recently there has been much debate over protecting intangible cultural heritage through intellectual property rights, as well as the desirability to do so through this legal framework and the risks ofcommodification derived from this possibility.[29] The issue still remains open in legal scholarship.[citation needed]
List of countries with Intangible Cultural Heritages
^Vrdoljak, Ana Filipa (6 December 2017), "Indigenous peoples, intangible cultural heritage and participation in the United Nations",Intellectual Property, Cultural Property and Intangible Cultural Heritage, Routledge, pp. 50–66,doi:10.4324/9781315714288-3,ISBN978-1-315-71428-8
^Gerold Keusch: Kulturgüterschutz in der Ära der Identitätskriege (German – Protection of cultural property in the era of identity wars). In: Truppendienst – Magazin des Österreichischen Bundesheeres, 24 October 2018.
^abYang Jongsung (2003).Cultural Protection Policy in Korea: Intangible Cultural Properties and Living National Treasures. Jimoondang International. pp. 33ff.ISBN978-1931897051.
^Khan, Muqeem (1 March 2015). "Transmitting Al Ardha: Traditional Arab Sword Dance".International Journal of Heritage in the Digital Era.4 (1):71–86.doi:10.1260/2047-4970.4.1.71.[permanent dead link]
^Yehuda Kalay; Thomas Kvan; Janice Affleck, eds. (2007).New Heritage: New Media and Cultural Heritage. Routledge.ISBN978-1-135-97770-2.
^Khan, Khalil Ahmed; Tluehan, Bekbolat (2019)."UNESCO traditional sports and games".Педагогико-психологические и медико-биологические проблемы физической культуры и спорта.14 (2 (eng)):5–8.
^Farah, Paolo Davide; Tremolada, Riccardo (15 March 2014). "Desirability of Commodification of Intangible Cultural Heritage: The Unsatisfying Role of Intellectual Property Rights".Transnational Dispute Management.11 (2).SSRN2472339.
^abcdKurin, Richard (1 May 2004). "Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in the 2003 UNESCO Convention: a critical appraisal".Museum International.56 (1–2):66–77.doi:10.1111/j.1350-0775.2004.00459.x.S2CID142579517.
^Sun, Yi (2024). "Necessitated by Geopolitics: China's Economic and Cultural Initiatives in Central Asia". In Fang, Qiang; Li, Xiaobing (eds.).China under Xi Jinping: A New Assessment.Leiden University Press.ISBN9789087284411.JSTORjj.15136086.
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