Click the star to add/remove an item to/from your individual schedule.
You need to be logged in to avail of this functionality.
Log in
- Convenors:
-
Mirko Uhlig
(Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz)
Manuel Trummer (University of Regensburg)
Send message to Convenors
- Format:
- Panel
- Stream:
- Heritage
- Location:
- B2.43
- Sessions:
- Saturday 10 June, -, -
Time zone: Europe/Prague
Short Abstract:
What is the significance of Intangible Cultural Heritage as a resource in rural regions? Using empirical examples, the panel will discuss opportunities and problems of participation and endogenous development against the backdrop of the uncertainties of rural transformation in Europe.
Long Abstract:
Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in Europe's rural areas is characterized by a twofold uncertainty. Current studies show on the one hand that the conferral of ICH status (UNESCO) by the respective national committees can lead to conflicts in the local communities. Questions of representation, inclusion, and of economic and ecological impacts arise – a result of a fundamental uncertainty: how should the award be dealt with, and who should participate? Often the joy over the “honour” is followed by disillusionment and the question – what now? Who actually benefits from it? Especially in peripheral rural regions, the lack of expertise, a hindered knowledge circulation, and an insufficient integration of local actors and networks pose key problems.
On the other hand, many rural areas in Europe are themselves marked by uncertainties. Infrastructural and demographic shrinkage, and the transformation of 20th century rural industry and agriculture form a “sea of uncertainties” that require new forms of governance.
This panel explores to what extent forms of ICH can strengthen the resilience of rural areas. The focus is on forms of heritage that have already been designated ICH status by the national committees. Several questions are at the forefront:
- What uncertainties arise AFTER the conferral of ICH status?
- What conflicts might arise in a community following the conferral?
- Which "dynamics of valorization" (Bendix 2013) generate uncertainty?
We are interested in empirical contributions that use examples to focus on the perspective of actors in the field.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Saturday 10 June, 2023, -Marco Romagnoli (Université Laval)
Paper short abstract:
The Mediterranean diet was inscribed in the UNESCO ICH Representative List in 2010. The presentation returns the results of an ethnographic study of the impacts of the heritagization of this cultural practice in the rural regions of Cilento (Italy) and Soria (Spain), and the community participation after the UNESCO ICH status conferral.
Paper long abstract:
The more we try to frame its multiple meanings, the more its conceptual contours escape us: The Mediterranean diet gathers touristic, cultural and food imaginaries as well as geopolitical, commercial and socio-cultural utopias. Drawing on results of an ethnographic study, the proposed presentation explores the impacts of the heritagization of the Mediterranean diet on two (out of seven) Mediterranean “Emblematic Communities”. Inscribed in 2010 on the Representative List of the ICH by UNESCO, the Mediterranean diet was proposed by a consortium of Mediterranean countries (Spain, Greece, Italy and Morocco in 2010; followed by Cyprus, Croatia and Portugal in 2013). This research proposes to analyze the concept of the Mediterranean diet as a reactionary and revolutionary bulwark against the specific problems affecting modernity – from neo-capitalism to mass touristic consumption – and rural communities (demographic shrinkage, among others). In this sense, the presentation brings a new key to reading the functionality of the Mediterranean diet as a means of understanding new global food trends, articulated in the contemporary paradigms of glocalization and sustainability. The novelty the research brings is the updating and comparative analysis of the Mediterranean diet as a UNESCO ICH, and the extent of the community participation to the viability of this cultural practice. The analysis reveals that the question of community participation is far from being resolved. This arises the question: Can heritage be called so when its “cultural bearers” are not even aware of its existence and/or of its value? I used a methodological approach based on multi-site ethnography in two different communities: the Cilento sub-region in Italy and the city of Soria (and its rural surroundings) in Spain. This methodology includes in situ participant observation and semi-directed interviews.
Manuel Trummer (University of Regensburg) Mirko Uhlig (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz) Rebecca Koller (University of Regensburg) Leonie Schäfer (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz)
Paper short abstract:
This paper explores the potential of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) for the integrated development of rural-peripheral regions. Against a theoretical background of „cultural resilience“ and „commons“ the focus lies on the participation of local communities in the further development of ICH.
Paper long abstract:
The joint project "Intangible Cultural Heritage in Rural Areas“ (funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, 2023–2026) explores the potential of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) for the integrated development of rural-peripheral regions in Germany. The focus is on the participation of local communities in the further development and communication of ICH. A comparison contrasts the still inconsistently established cultural governance at the federal-state level and examines diverging knowledge bases and activation potentials. The project's overall objective is to investigate ways to strengthen peripheral regions' cultural resilience by means of cultural heritage. To do this, the project looks at a selection of practices and expressions that have already been awarded by UNESCO and are included in the "Federal Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage". An urgent question is: What are the frictions between theory and practice when ICH is understood as a process of “commoning”? This paper presents our epistemological interests and theoretical approaches for further discussion.
Terezie Řánková (Masaryk University)
Paper short abstract:
This paper will attempt to focus on the phenomena of performing arts or festive events. Where can uncertainty arise in these phenomena after the conferral of Intangible Cultural Heritage status?
Paper long abstract:
Performing arts or festive events are specific domains of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). There may be several uncertainties related to the ICH status granted. One of them is related to tourism. After the conferral of ICH status, these phenomena often become elements of cultural promotion and an object of interest for tourists. Although tourism can contribute to the continuous maintenance of the phenomena, there can also be distortions and inappropriate commercialisation. There may be uncertainty in the perspective of the actors – to what extent do they want to keep the performance or expression unchanged, to what degree can they contribute their creativity or do they want to adapt the form of the heritage to the audience? Another uncertainty connected to the previous one, is the perception of cultural heritage by the actors themselves. Do they perceive what they perform in the final form as cultural heritage?
The paper will focus on the awarded phenomena in the Czech Republic and will ask whether it is possible to find the boundary between commercialisation and sustainability and where actors take certainty about the form of cultural heritage.
Fabian Jacobs (Sorbian Institute) Ines Keller Theresa Jacobsowa (Serbski institut z.t.Sorbisches Institut e.V.)
Paper short abstract:
In 2014, the social customs of the Lusatian Sorbs were included in the german inventory of ICH. The paper traces both discourses of uncertainty and gouvernance within the Sorbian community, as well as dynamics in dealing with the awarded heritage due to unexpected changes of societal conditions.
Paper long abstract:
In 2014, the social customs and festivals of the Lusatian Sorbs were one of the first forms of cultural expression to be included in Germany's Nationwide Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The application was steered and submitted by the Domowina, the umbrella organisation of Sorbian associations. Already in the application process, there was a discourse within the Sorbian community about the possible effects of an entry, which was strongly characterised by uncertainties regarding the marketing of Sorbian cultural heritage and the secularisation of Christian festivals. In terms of minority policy, the entry became unforeseeably relevant now in the context of structural changes in Lusatia due to the phase-out of lignite-fired power generation. Since 2019, regional development projects were financed with structural change funding under the title "valorisation of intangible cultural heritage in the German-Slavic context". As a result, a Sorbian non-profit limited company was founded, an existing network of regional museums and heritage centres was further developed and broad inventories of Sorbian cultural heritage were launched.
The presentation will show whether and how these unexpected changes of societal conditions influenced the handling of the awarded cultural heritage and how this affected existing governance structures in the Sorbian community. By means of the evaluation of a mainly questionnaire-based inventory of customs and festivals in a sub-region of Lusatia carried out in 2020/21, we will examine whether these dynamic developments have meanwhile also had an impact on the practice of customs and on the perception of uncertainties at the local level.
Marija Gačić (Heritage Chaser, ethnological research and cultural consulting company)
Paper short abstract:
Bećarac is inscribed in UNESCO in 2011. It is a popular genre in eastern Croatia, but it came to the general public's attention following two scandals. Both of them called in question the justification of the enrollment of bećarac in UNESCO. Local communities felt big insecurity and asked: what now?
Paper long abstract:
Local communities of rural eastern Croatia are very proud of bećarac as ICH of humanity. It is a living heritage, but the inscription raised awareness of the value of this heritage in local communities. Bećarac came in to focus of the general public in Croatia following two affairs related to bećarac. First happened in 2017 when a bećarac singer was led to court for insulting a female police officer by singing bećarac to her. Public discussion was vigorous, but everything went as it came. Second scandal happened in 2022 when bećarac was used as an inspiration for an artistic performance by which the artist called into question the justification of the enrollment of bećarac in UNESCO. In both cases, local community strongly defended bećarac as their own identity. By my own involvement in the local culture of bećarac, I asked myself: What are we doing for/with bećarac all these years since UNESCO's recognition? Who should do something about it? In what ways can we engage our heritage in modern transformation of rural Croatia? How come that the general public does not understand (the culture of) bećarac? We are strongly defending bećarac when it is attacked, but we are taking it for granted when no one is judging it. In this paper I will try to offer a fresh perspective on this important issues giving examples of new approaches that are connecting our heritage and contemporary rural eastern Croatia, engaging ethnologists as the main mediators in these processes.
Vytautas Tumėnas (Lithuanian Institute of History)
Paper short abstract:
The research analyses the status of intangible heritage and problems of its practicing in Lithuania: the tensions in cooperation of heritage communities with scientists and state institutions (their theoretical presumptions and support politics) and the importance of local factors in management.
Paper long abstract:
The research is based on the authors' experience in expert work in The Commision of Lithuanian Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Inventory, as well as a survey of respondents - leaders of traditions, collected using the questionnaire drawn up in the course of the Lithuanian Culture Council sponsored study on the possibilities of actualization of ICH (2022).
The analysis reveals that the cooperation of ICH communities with ethnologists and prominent specialists is highly desirable - otherwise, the heritage tradition may be reduced to the cultivation of more social, than cultural or artistic values. The economic factor is very important for the viability of traditional crafts and folk art, and the support of socio-cultural environment is more essential for the phenomena of customs.
The presentation analyses the variety of management enforcing the practicing of traditions in protected areas (parks) and resorts heavily visited by tourists; a prominent traditions in the provinces, highly valued by professionals and sustainable by the enthusiasm of local communities; and nationally spread traditions supported (or poorly supported) by the state or municipalities.
Best and worst practices of interaction between community leaders, managers, ethnologists, municipalities and state in safeguarding ICH traditions are discussed. The dilemma of the main responsible subject occurs quite often.
The most criticized methodological – theoretical aspect of state support is the requirement of innovation and integration into other areas of culture for the practitioners of authentic traditions.
Tatjana Bugarski (Museum of Vojvodina)
Paper short abstract:
Drawing on research of two elements inscribed in the National register of ICH, the paper explores the effects of the inscriptions in communities: a growing difference in the understanding of the elements themselves and roles between the bearers, local authorities and experts.
Paper long abstract:
During the ten years since the beginning of the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, 57 elements have been inscribed in the National Register in Serbia. Around 20 elements are actively practiced as part of the living heritage in Vojvodina, a province of Serbia. It can be seen that during the several years that have passed since the registration, there have been various changes in the relationships and roles of stakeholders, differences in the definition of risks and safeguarding measures, the motivation for involvement in safeguarding and the relationships of the bearers and the wider community.
Rural regions have undergone major demographic and economic changes over the last decades, and cultural heritage is regarded as a resource that provides hope for progress. The presentation will focus on examples of two elements: carpet (kilim) weaving in the village of Stapar, and Slovak naive painting. The craft of weaving the Stapar carpets has been preserved primarily as part of the heritage transferred among the female population of the village of Stapar, and naive Slovak painting encompasses the knowledge and skills of self-educated painters – members of the Slovak minority in Serbia, mainly in the Banat region. Both inscriptions encompass economic and political objectives: from job creation to international recognition. Over time, it turned out that there is a growing difference in the understanding of the elements themselves, and some “loose threads“ between the bearers, institutions, local authorities and experts in the field of intangible cultural heritage.