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.