Intangible Cultural Heritage in a Modernizing Bhutan: The Question of Remaining Viable and Dynamic

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Lees
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Intangible Cultural Heritage ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Gross National Happiness ◽  
The People ◽  
Cultural Isolation ◽  
Cloth Production ◽  
History Of

AbstractThis article considers the measures being taken in Bhutan to support the cultural practices and traditions of weaving as Bhutan rapidly moves to modernize. Woven cloth is one of a number of artisan practices in Bhutan that contribute to a unique body of intangible cultural heritage, and a distinctive and instantly recognizable Bhutanese identity. Cloth and cloth production have come to have significant influence on the cultural, socioeconomic and political, as well as the ceremonial and religious life of the people of Bhutan. However with modernization and an increasingly global outlook, many socioeconomic transformations are taking place, challenging traditional cultural practices to remain relevant and viable to younger generations. Bhutan offers a unique case study as a country engaging only relatively recently with globalization after a long history of cultural isolation. Bhutan also offers up a unique policy response to modernization, its Gross National Happiness (GNH) measure, which attempts to embody a strong social, cultural, and environmental imperative within the development process. This article will analyze the various measures taking place to maintain cultural identity and cultural practices within the context of development policy and practice, and will link this discussion to measures and approaches taking place at an international level by agencies such as UNESCO.

scholarly journals Productive Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage Based on the Theory of Involvement: A Case Study on the Farmers’ Paintings of XinJi County, Hebei Province, China

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 ◽  
pp. 01031
Author(s):  
Kong Xuhong ◽  
Hong Jingjing
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Hebei Province ◽  
Intangible Cultural Heritage ◽  
Cultural Connotation ◽  
Involvement Theory ◽  
Present Context ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Times

The productive protection of intangible cultural heritages, always in the form of tourism development under the present context, is put forward by Chinese scholars, which are beneficial to both the protection of the heritage and the economy development of the locals. While not all intangible cultural heritages can be understood and accepted by tourists due to the reasons that the living circumstances and contexts of these heritages are changing and disappearing that it’s hard for tourists to understand, neither do they desire to pay for it. Therefore, how to make tourists even including some craftsmen understand and accept the heritage means a lot to the protection and inheritance of these heritages. The paper argues that the Involvement Theory can be referred to analyze settle the problems. A case study of the farmers’ painting in Xinji County, Hebei Province was carried out as the example, which is one of the most representative intangible cultural heritage of folk art in Hebei Province, China, with a long history of development, rich cultural connotation and high artistic value. A field investigation and deep-interview was carried out to gather the information of its status quo, problems of its inheriting and developing were analyzed, the paper found that with the development of the times and society, farmers’ painting is losing its survival environment, the income of farmers’ painting is not proportional to their putting-in and cost, the value of farmers painting can not be reflected, and the productive protection is seriously hindered. Therefore, based on the perspective of involvement theory, this study analyzed the bottleneck of productive protection of Xinji Farmers’ Painting, suggested how to stimulate the involvement of tourists into the understanding and producing and creation of the paintings in order to promote the inheritance of the heritage.

scholarly journals Memorial Tombs – special cultural heritage in the context of compound burials of Nguyen Dynasty aristocracy in Southern parts of Vietnam in Medieval and Post-Medieval Times  Pham Duc Manh

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-63
Author(s):  
Manh Duc Pham ◽  
Chien Ngoc Do
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Intangible Cultural Heritage ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
Southern Vietnam ◽  
The People ◽  
Historical Figures ◽  
Expansion Time ◽  
History Of ◽  
Artistic Heritage

This paper introduces Memorial Tombs in the context of memorial compound tomb types for the aristocrat of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802- 1945) in Southern Vietnam in The Medieval and Post-Medieval Time. This type was of rare tangible and intangible cultural heritage at the time (1.5%). These heritage assets are very valuable because they are associated with historical figures – “state founders, meritorious officials” in country expansion time “The Great South Unification (Dai Nam Nhat thong)”. In addition to the typical complex of mausoleums in Southern Vietnam (Nguyen Huu Canh, 1650-1700; Le Van Duyet, 1763-1832; Le Van Phong, Truong Tan Buu, 1752-1827 or Tran Van Hoc, Phan Tan Huynh, Huynh Van Tu, and "Sir Nhieu Loc"), the authors studied Vo Tanh mausoleum at both Hoang De (emperor) and Gia Dinh (emperor) citadels, and the mausoleum of his warmates related to the last and biggest-scaled sea fight between the Nguyen dynasty’s army and the Tay Son insurgent army on Thi Nai lagoon in 1801 (Vo Di Nguy, 1745-1801; Ngo Tung Chau; Thu Ngoc Hau, etc.). In our opinion, the presence of memorial tomb types of Vo Tanh and his warmates – historic-cultural-artistic heritage sites of national/provincial levels in Southern Vietnam relating the honoring of heroes who “wholeheartedly served the King, defended the country, saved the people” in the history of country expansion “Towards the South” in medieval and post-medieval times. They contribute to the moulding of prominent features of the comtemporary Southerners’ personality. Those historical stories of the Southern heroes are preserved and worshipped by their descendants bearing in mind the Vietnamese way of life “praising the bridge carrying one over” and pay homage to ancestors for their nation-building service.

scholarly journals Holiday as an element of the intangible cultural heritage

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryna Kozlovska
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Intangible Cultural Heritage ◽  
Historical Experience ◽  
Intangible Heritage ◽  
The People ◽  
General Scientific ◽  
Research Analysis

The purpose of the article is to analyze the main parameters according to which the holiday is classified as an intangible cultural heritage. Research methodology. General scientific and special methods of research analysis, synthesis, generalization, comparison are used. The use of scientific approaches integrated with culturology, history, and ethnography testifies to the interdisciplinarity of the research. The scientific novelty is to determine the main characteristics of the holidays as intangible cultural heritage and analyze the experience of their inclusion in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List. Conclusions. Intangible cultural heritage is an intangible element of culture, mostly traditional, all that can be considered the spiritual and intellectual achievements of the people. Intangible cultural heritage includes holidays embodied in relevant cultural practices, which may have the most stable and unconditional parameters, enshrined in the minds of people as carriers of historical experience, ethnocultural identity, and various socio-cultural practices that allow distinguishing cultures from each other. The main significance of the holidays, which are already included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, is the preservation of traditions, communication, uniting communities around common rituals and values, passing on the relevant experience to the next generation. Key words: holiday, intangible cultural heritage, Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, communicativeness, traditions.  

scholarly journals Intangible cultural heritage: a benefit to climate-displaced and host communities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gül Aktürk ◽  
Martha Lerski
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Action Planning ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Intangible Cultural Heritage ◽  
Intangible Heritage ◽  
Resilient Communities

AbstractClimate change is borderless, and its impacts are not shared equally by all communities. It causes an imbalance between people by creating a more desirable living environment for some societies while erasing settlements and shelters of some others. Due to floods, sea level rise, destructive storms, drought, and slow-onset factors such as salinization of water and soil, people lose their lands, homes, and natural resources. Catastrophic events force people to move voluntarily or involuntarily. The relocation of communities is a debatable climate adaptation measure which requires utmost care with human rights, ethics, and psychological well-being of individuals upon the issues of discrimination, conflict, and security. As the number of climate-displaced populations grows, the generations-deep connection to their rituals, customs, and ancestral ties with the land, cultural practices, and intangible cultural heritage become endangered. However, intangible heritage is often overlooked in the context of climate displacement. This paper presents reflections based on observations regarding the intangible heritage of voluntarily displaced communities. It begins by examining intangible heritage under the threat of climate displacement, with place-based examples. It then reveals intangible heritage as a catalyst to building resilient communities by advocating for the cultural values of indigenous and all people in climate action planning. It concludes the discussion by presenting the implications of climate displacement in existing intangible heritage initiatives. This article seeks to contribute to the emerging policies of preserving intangible heritage in the context of climate displacement.

scholarly journals Intertwining Christian Mission, Theology, and History: A Case Study of the Basel Mission among the Thiyyas and Badagas of Kerala, 1870–1913

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Tiasa Basu Roy
Keyword(s):  
Caste System ◽  
Word Of God ◽  
Christian Mission ◽  
Mission Theology ◽  
The People ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
History Of ◽  
Medical Aids ◽  
Basel Mission

For centuries, various denominations of Christian missionaries have contributed in a larger way towards the spread of Christianity among the people of Indian sub-continent. Each Church had its own principles of preaching the word of God and undertook welfare activities in and around the mission-stations. From establishing schools to providing medical aids, the Christian missionaries were involved in constant perseverance to improve the ‘indigenous’ societies not only in terms of amenities and opportunities, but also in spiritual aspects. Despite conversion being the prime motive, every Mission prepared ground on which their undertakings found meanings and made an impact over people’s lives. These endeavours, combining missiological and theological discourses, brought hope and success to the missionaries, and in our case study, the Basel Mission added to the history of the Christian Mission while operating in the coastal and hilly districts of Kerala during the 19th and the 20th centuries. Predominantly following the trait of Pietism, the Basel Mission emphasised practical matters more than doctrine, which was evident in the Mission activities among the Thiyyas and the Badagas of Malabar and Nilgiris, respectively. Along with addressing issues like the caste system and spreading education in the ‘backward’ regions, the most remarkable contribution of the Basel Mission established the ‘prototype’ of industries which was part of the ‘praxis practice’ model. It aimed at self-sufficiency and provided a livelihood for a number of people who otherwise had no honourable means of subsistence. Moreover, conversion in Kerala was a combination of ‘self-transformation’ and active participation which resulted in ‘enculturation’ and inception of ‘modernity’ in the region. Finally, this article shows that works of the Basel Mission weaved together its theological and missiological ideologies which determined its exclusivity as a Church denomination.

scholarly journals Visiting Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism Sites: From Value Cognition to Attitude and Intention

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qihang Qiu ◽  
Tianxiang Zheng ◽  
Zheng Xiang ◽  
Mu Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Tourism Development ◽  
Intangible Cultural Heritage ◽  
Cultural Resources ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Tourism Product ◽  
Heritage Site ◽  
Development Evaluation ◽  
Positive Correlations

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) has recently become an important area of tourism development for many countries that are home to such cultural resources. Within this context, the value of an ICH site has often been used to guide tourism development and policy making. In addition, community residents’ attitude and perception of ICH contribute to tourism development. In this study, we used the traditional firing technology of Longquan celadon in Zhejiang Province, China, as a case study to understand the relationships between value recognition and attitude along with the intention to visit the heritage site. We surveyed 368 residents and conducted path analysis to test such relationships. Findings revealed significant positive correlations between residents’ cognition of ICH value, their attitudes and travel intentions. Among them, attitudes played a mediating role in the formation of value cognition to travel intention. These findings offer insights into ICH-related tourism development, particularly regarding tourism product design, marketing and post-development evaluation, as well as the conservation of ICH sites.

scholarly journals Replicating Elite Dominance in Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding: The Role of Local Government–Scholar Networks in China

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Maags ◽  
Heike Holbig
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
National Level ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Intangible Cultural Heritage ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Heritage Discourse

Abstract:Since “intangible cultural heritage” (ICH) became the new focal point in the global heritage discourse, governments and scholars in many countries have begun to promote this new form of “immaterial” culture. The People’s Republic of China has been one of the most active state parties implementing the new scheme and adapting it to domestic discourses and practices. Policies formulated at the national level have become increasingly malleable to the interests of local government-scholar networks. By conducting a comparative case study of two provinces, this article aims to identify the role of local elite networks in the domestic implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, focusing on the incentives of scholars and officials to participate in ICH policy networks. It finds that the implementation of the Convention has not removed the power asymmetry between elite and popular actors but, instead, has fostered an elite-driven policy approach shaped by symbiotic, mutually legitimizing government–scholar networks.

Visitors’ experiences with Intangible Cultural Heritage: a case study from Córdoba, Spain

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 410-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomás López-Guzmán ◽  
Francisco González Santa-Cruz
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Intangible Cultural Heritage

scholarly journals Cultural rights and “Masterpieces” of Local and Translocal Actors

Ethnologies ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 297-324
Author(s):  
Hélène Giguère
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Freedom Of Expression ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Customary Law ◽  
Intangible Cultural Heritage ◽  
Cultural Rights ◽  
Social Divisions

This paper deals with European experiences of inscription of traditional cultural practices on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). It will first establish the institutional context of the UNESCO’s listing within the framework of reflections on cultural rights. Then, the author briefly presents four European masterpieces in the Mediterranean area. A comparative analysis follows which specifically focuses on the multiplication of practitioners and on translocality; on the overlapping between institutions and artisans; on the use of intangible cultural heritage as a driver for local development via cultural tourism; and on the multimedia “museification” of the intangible. The comparative study of the listing of these intangible cultural heritage traditions also questions the value of customary law versus freedom of expression and creation. It reveals the tensions between the “purity” and “impurity” of cultural practices and social agents, as well as exclusions related to ethnicity, sex or territory. These tensions create new social divisions and remodel the link people have with cultural practices. An examination of gender sheds light on the marginality of women in public space.

scholarly journals Las tejedoras mayas de Guatemala: un proceso activo para la salvaguardia de su patrimonio cultural inmaterial

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 93-109
Author(s):  
Marta Salvador i Almela ◽  
Núria Abellan Calvet
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Cultural Value ◽  
Intangible Cultural Heritage ◽  
Analysis Framework ◽  
Tourism Management ◽  
Role Of Women

Currently, many are the phenomena that occur around intangible cultural heritage (ICH), related to its politics and legacy. With a critical analysis perspective, this article aims to describe the processes of patrimonialisation, commodification, and touristification of ICH, especially of the Guatemalan Mayan fabrics. The ongoing movement of Guatemalan weavers to protect and vindicate the cultural value of this art brings to light the role of different actors that intervene in intangible cultural heritage and, of greater relevance, indigenous communities. The following analysis framework on the diverse conceptualisations of heritage, authenticity, commodification and touristification allows for a deeper understanding of the Mayan weavers’ situation. The methodology used in this article consists on a case study, through which the following main conclusions arise: the lack of protection of ICH of this case study given the complex definitions and categorisations; the need to identify the consequences of commodification and touristification of ancestral tapestries, highlighting the importance of tourism management from the communities; and, finally, the key role of women as transmitters and protectors of ICH, who have headed a process of movement and empowerment.

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