World Heritage communities, anchors and values for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in southern Africa

Abstract

This chapter examines the case of the ultimately successful nomination by Japan of 'Washoku, traditional dietary culture of Japan' as an example of the way culinary heritage has increasingly come to be seen and used as a marker of identity within both national and global contexts. It illustrates how Japan's nomination of washoku for Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICHC) listing was motivated by the need to address several issues of broader domestic politics. The chapter also examines the development of the concept of culinary heritage within both national and global contexts and its listing under the ICHC. Japan's culinary heritage nomination also followed a different pathway to that which had previously applied where elements from the existing national list were simply selected for United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization ICHC nomination. The chapter then briefly considers the place of food and culinary practice within the Japanese conception of heritage.