This collection provides an in-depth and up-to-date examination of the concept of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the issues surrounding its value to society. Critically engaging with the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the book also discusses local-level conceptualizations of living cultural traditions, practices and expressions, and reflects on the efforts that seek to safeguard them. Exploring a global range of case studies, the book considers the diverse perspectives currently involved with intangible cultural heritage and presents a rich picture of the geographic, socioeconomic and political contexts impacting research in this area. With contributions from established and emerging scholars, public servants, professionals, students and community members, this volume is also deeply enhanced by an interdisciplinary approach which draws on the theories and practices of heritage and museum studies, anthropology, folklore studies, ethnomusicology, and the study of cultural policy and related law. The Routledge Companion to Intangible Cultural Heritage undoubtedly broadens the international heritage discourse and is an invaluable learning tool for instructors, students and practitioners in the field.

About the Author

Michelle L. Stefano is a Folklife Specialist (Research and Programs) at the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress, Washington, DC. From 2011-2016, Stefano worked for Maryland Traditions, the folklife program of the state of Maryland, of which she was its Co-Director from 2015-2016. From 2012-2016, she led the partnership between Maryland Traditions and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she was Visiting Assistant Professor in American Studies. She co-edited Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage (2012) with Peter Davis and Gerard Corsane.

Peter Davis is Emeritus Professor of Museology in the International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies at Newcastle University, UK. He is honorary editor of Archives of Natural History, the journal of the Society for the History of Natural History, and a series editor for Heritage Matters. His research interests include the interactions between nature, culture and concepts of place and space. He has published widely on ecomuseums and intangible cultural heritage.

Reviews

"It is a most welcome addition to literature, and a must-have for all who want to deepen their understanding of the scholarly research into and safeguarding practice of Intangible Cultural Heritage. (...) With the publication of this Routledge Companion, Intangible Cultural Heritage has certainly reached a new level of scholarly recognition. And that is a very good thing."

- Steven Engelsman, Director, Weltmuseum Wien, Austria

"The Routledge Companion to Intangible Cultural Heritgae provides asnapshop- or rather, a whole picture album- of the evolution of a profoundly important cultural policiy and paradigm[...] The editors have assembled here a massive and varied set of essays- 38 individual chapters written by 54 authors, including anthropologists, folklorists, legals scholars, museum professionals, ethomusicologists, and community members."

- Michael Dylan Foster, University of California, USA

Book Information
ISBN 9780367872076
Author Michelle Stefano
Format Paperback
Page Count 528
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 861g