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Short abstract

Research explores Slovak pastoralists' voice in the Transhumance nomination. While the 2003 Convention emphasizes community participation, the state retains final authority, raising concerns about representativeness. Using participatory observation, it maps out actors and power dynamics.

Long abstract

This research explores the involvement of the pastoral community in Slovakia in the nomination of Transhumance on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. While community participation is central to the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the inscription process involves multiple stakeholders. The final decision on inscription remains within the authority of state parties, raising questions about the representativeness of pastoral community involved.

Using participant observation and ethnographic interviews, this research examines the inclusion of the pastoral community's voice during the real-time Transhumance inscription process. It maps the network of actors involved, their interrelations, and the power dynamics at play unwriting the narrative of pastoral communities as remote, timeless and backward. Drawing on the theory of epistemic injustice (Fricker, 2007), the study critically analyses the extent to which the inclusion of local pastoral communities aligns with the 2003 Convention's stated goals and interrogates the broader implications of representativeness of pastoral communities in safeguarding living heritage. The poster features a detailed network analysis of the actors involved.