Musical sustainability vis-à-vis intangible cultural heritage: safeguarding and incentives in the Feast of the Virgin of Candelaria, Puno, Perú

Abstract

ABSTRACT Both comparative assessment of the concept of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and developments in musical sustainability, to ensure the viability of grassroots musical practices, have been important concerns among applied ethnomusicologists over the last decade. This paper identifies some of the challenges in the dialogue between these two approaches from an implementation perspective via the case study of the nomination process of the Feast of the Virgin of Candelaria of Puno, Perú to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The article analyses the incentives for state officers, music practitioners, and other stakeholders in ICH projects to assess their compatibility with musical sustainability frameworks. I argue that the main challenge in aligning these two approaches resides in the conflicting incentive structures both approaches feature. This paper advances current research on musical sustainability, ICH, and applied ethnomusicology by introducing conceptual developments for the analysis of institutional frameworks, partisan agendas, and decision-making processes.