Performativity and Dynamics of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Abstract

The practices of intangible cultural heritage are central to the cultural heritage of humanity, which comprises practices from a plethora of different cultures as well as monuments listed as world cultural heritage. These oeuvres and practices play an important role in the cultural identity of human beings. They are an expression of cultural diversity; they can promote inter-human processes of mediation and initiate educational development on many levels that conveys cultural heritage to the next generation. Engaging with these practices under the conditions of globalisation permits us to make important experiences of heterogeneity and otherness. The importance of the monuments listed by UNESCO as world cultural heritage for the cultural self-understanding of man is undisputed. By contrast, the role of the practices of intangible cultural heritage is subject to more controversial debate. This is all the more surprising given that the monuments have arisen out of man’s intangible cultural practices. In the context of the growing influence in modern societies of individualisation and personal autonomy, we are at times confronted with the view that many practices of intangible cultural heritage have become superfluous and could be replaced by other practices. Just like in the old days, however, communal life is impossible without the practices of intangible cultural heritage. They are historical and cultural products, and in studying them, the cultural determination of the phenomena themselves and the culturally determined character of the research perspectives brought to them come to be superimposed upon one another. This article in turn discusses seven aspects highlighting the specific character and relevance of practices of intangible cultural heritage: the human body as medium, practices of communication and interaction, mimetic learning and practical knowledge, the performativity of cultural practices, central structural and functional elements, difference and otherness, and inter-cultural learning.