Beyond Binarism: Exploring a Model of Living Cultural Heritage for Dance

Valeria Lo Iacono,David H K Brown

doi:10.3366/drs.2016.0147

Valeria Lo Iacono, David H K Brown

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3366/drs.2016.0147

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Journal: Dance Research	Publication Date: May 1, 2016
Citations: 16	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Cardiff Metropolitan University

Abstract

This essay, inspired by the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, explores meanings and definitions of the term ‘cultural heritage’ as it may be applied to dance. UNESCO's effort to include many different types of human expressions in its lists is commendable and an important attempt to safeguard the aspects of the world's cultural heritage. However, the binary oppositions of ‘tangible’/’intangible’, frequently used to describe material and immaterial elements of culture and heritage create a false dichotomy. This label is particularly problematic for dance, given its complex, multi-dimensional nature in which intangible and tangible elements are indissolubly linked. Instead, we suggest an alternative perspective of ‘living cultural heritage’ which is informed by three post-dualist conceptions contained within Giddens' Structuration theory (structure-agency), Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology (mind-body) and Bourdieu's theory of cultural practice (field-practice-habitus). This essay introduces the idea of a living cultural heritage by using the above post-dualist concepts as a stepping stone towards a more inclusive and fluid model of heritage. In this model, the cultural, embodied, practical, spatial, temporal and artefactual elements of cultural heritage are retained as each contributes to an emergent process of exchange and dialogue resulting in cultural heritage.

Highlights

This paper is inspired by the 2003 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural 1Organization (UNESCO) Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), but seeks to move beyond the concept of intangible, by proposing the alternative perspective of “living cultural heritage”
First we provide a critical consideration of the UNESCO definitions of cultural heritage and of intangible cultural heritage
For the scope of this article, we have focused on the two main UNESCO conventions on cultural heritage

Summary

Introduction

This paper is inspired by the 2003 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural 1Organization (UNESCO) Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), but seeks to move beyond the concept of intangible, by proposing the alternative perspective of “living cultural heritage”. By defining intangible cultural heritage, the 2003 UNESCO convention expands UNESCO’s previous 1972 definition (which focused only on buildings, monuments and sites) to include practices, traditions and performing arts such as dance. It represents a progressive move away from a static and strictly materialistic view of cultural heritage, towards a more comprehensive and dynamic perspective. Since 2003, many practices, traditions and performing arts have been added to the UNESCO’s lists of intangible cultural heritage. Dance forms on UNESCO lists include: Argentinean tango, Spanish flamenco, Chhau dance from India, Bigwala music and dance from Uganda, Huaconada from Peru (UNESCO, 2014)

Objectives

Conclusion