Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage

Overview

This book brings together a broad selection of essays from a variety of disciplines - anthropology, law, history - and from those with a professional involvement in areas that touch on intangible cultural heritage (ICH). The main stimulus for producing this volume was the adoption of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2003. This is a subject that has aroused a great deal of interest from governments to practitioners around the world. However, it remains relatively poorly understood and requires further deep consideration and sharing of ideas and experiences for truly effective and appropriate safeguarding policies to be developed. Specific issues relating to the implementation the 2003 Convention are also examined - the inscription of ICH on international lists and the intellectual property (IP)-related issues related to inventorying ICH. Finally, the paradoxes and complexities of the interaction between human rights (especially cultural rights) and UNESCO's work in safeguarding ICH are also considered, in the context of universalism, cultural relativism and cultural rights.