The dynamic of global Intangible Cultural Heritage research

1. Inroduction

The dynamic of global Intangible Cultural Heritage research have a characteristic of “pluriversatility” of heritage(Salazar 2010:145). The fields become more inter- and multi-disciplinary. The notion was originated from ‘Pluriverse’ and it was claimed by Arturo Escobar as a helpful way to redefinition of “postdevelopment”. 

The similarities of these studies are that the UNESCO conventions are the basement and starting point of studies. Materiality and intangibility of heritage is interconnected.  Whereas class difference don’t necessarily function negatively.

Seonwoo Kim distinguish popular version of Arirang folk song with subcultural version. 

Does the individual’s socio economic class, status differentiation affect to experience of ICH in different city of South Korea? Does the specific class identities are articulated and communicated through heritage? How does the different subject parties experience the relation and perform the identity through ICH?

Sang mee Bak et al. (2019) demonstrated that UNESCO inscription affected to increase of tourism . For manifestation, authors used quantitive data. The dependent variable is an indicator of  international tourist entrance increase.

2. Variables

The independent variable is the number of heritage inscription. As the indicator manifested that the entrance rate to 72 countries which ratified UNESCO convention increase, authors could have approve the positive relation between inscription and tourism. However, the relation is not linear as many intervening and control variables are exist.

Control variables include tourist’s health, education level, and urban or rural area where they lives in. Future possible research suggested here is that when TH and ICH are closely related, how tourism would be affected by?

Among the five domains(e.g. oral traditions and expressions including language, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events,  knowledge and practices, traditional craftsmanship) of ICH as classified in the 2003 UNESCO Convention, how does the way they affect to tourism different? How does the six groups of countries as classified in the UNESCO Convention different in its relation of inscription and tourism?

 As the author already noted, limitation of this study is that it only analyzed paper that written in English, so it excluded culturally rich countries where don’t use English.

The term Intangible Cultural Heritage(ICH) originated from proclamation in 2001, 2003 and 2005 adopted by UNESCO. 

scholars in UK focus on the relationship between music (Roberts et al.: 2014), festivals[Ferdinand et al.:2013], and cultural heritage.

Seong-mi Jeong (2019) examine connectivity between tangible heritage(TH) and intangible cultural heritage(ICH). In case of heritage that prepared for marriage, the upper class which called yang ban learned skill making handicraft items. Here the skill is ICH and the item is tangible heritage.

The network of ICH practicing regional communities affect to in-group identity of individuals who belong to the each community?

Identity of common people is shared within or outside of the community. In case the communities are displaced, identification with the place near the community occur.

Then the status difference between different communities makes multiplicity. Expression of identity depends on the ‘space’ and ‘place’ of the interaction.

Writer: © DahaKim 김다하