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Paper short abstract:

Rural Albania has been the cradle of Albanian culture. However many of traditions that remain in rural areas are being rapidly lost. In the Albanian context, promoting innovative incentives for the traceability of rural heritage is a solution to regenerate rural regions through cultural heritage.

Paper long abstract:

The relationship between cultural heritage, in its tangible and intangible dimensions, and global change has been a topic of significant ethnographic and anthropological discussion. It reflects the rising challenge of safeguarding rural culture and identity in a postmodern society, as well as the influence of the growing globalization. The development of society, the dialectical movements of the population whether in internal or external migration affect certain elements of rural heritage. The paper focuses as an interdisciplinary research in understanding and promoting the profound role the cultural heritage plays in rural communities. The research is based on theoretical reviews and ethnographic experiment that explore good practices and tools related to Albanian xhubleta, part of tangible rural culture, regarded as a catalyst for social belonging and environmental sustainability. It also provides different ways of creating tools to involve communities better in the safeguarding process, how best to address these needs for the benefit of these communities achieving inclusive and sustainable rural development through cultural heritage. The research presents policy measures toward transformation of cultural landscapes and the safety of rural heritage under rapid globalization and extreme climate changes.

Keywords: safeguarding cultural heritage, traceability, rural development, globalization