Form Of Intangible Heritage Research Articles

Using destination reviews to explore tourists’ sensory experiences at Christmas markets in Germany and Austria

ABSTRACT Christmas markets in Germany and Austria exhibit historic, mercantile, social and experiential dimensions, entrenching them both as a form of heritage and as visitable sites of society and culture, yet research into tourist perception of sensory and multisensory experiential components of these markets has been highly limited thus far. This paper examines the extent of sensory components experienced in Dresden Strietzelmarkt, Nuremberg Christkindlmarkt (Germany) and Vienna Rathausplatz Christkindlmarkt (Austria), as reported in TripAdvisor reviews. Visitor experience ratings across all three Christmas markets were strongly positive, with internal visitors being more discerning in terms of actual experience. All five sensory components of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch were identified, with sight and taste being most commonly noted. The majority of reviews referred to two or three sensory experiences, and a positive correlation emerged between more complex sensory experience and higher visitor rating. Numerous comments connected experienced sensory characteristics with a sense of a Christmas atmosphere or mood, and perceptions on authenticity were entwined with past perception and expectation. In recognising such multisensory components having ascribed values, we argue they deserve to be correctly identified, documented and managed as forms of intangible heritage.

Tourists’ Motives for Visiting Historic Conservation Areas in the Post-Pandemic Era: A Case Study of Kuanzhai Alley in Chengdu, China

Much current discussion about the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health focuses on urban green space and rarely on historic conservation areas (HCAs). With the pandemic’s lasting influence and advances in medical technology, people’s mental health needs and attitudes toward epidemic prevention changed, and the importance of HCAs has received great attention. This study aims to explore the positive impact of heritage tourism on mental recovery under the influence of the pandemic. The Kuanzhai Alley HCA was selected as the location for the field survey and in-depth interviews. A total of 48 respondents were recruited for the semi-structured interviews, and qualitative data were analyzed through MAXQDA 2020, and the motives and mental feedback of tourists visiting Kuanzhai Alley were summarized. The results showed that there is great landscape integrity and continuity in the area. During the pandemic, the inclusive cultural atmosphere, human-based spatial scale, and cultural activities in the form of intangible heritage, such as Sichuan opera and live-action role-playing (LARP), had significant effects on eliminating loneliness, relieving anxiety, and improving happiness. The study results are expected to provide reference and guidance for current and future management of heritage tourism, social well-being, and a sustainable cultural economy.

Cultural Heritage: A Tourism Product of Egypt under Risk

The heritage of Egypt is known for its richness and diversity; besides the numerous archaeological and historical sites (tangible heritage), different regions in the country are distinguished for their poetry, songs, dances, handicrafts and other forms of intangible heritage. This paper aims at giving an overview of Egyptian cultural heritage forms, then shedding the light on different threats that hinder their sustainability as tourism cultural resources. An exploratory approach was used in gathering information from literature. The significance of this research comes from the fact that few published works discussed the problems facing heritage in Egypt, particularly, intangible heritage. Clearly, human actions and climate change, globalization, political instability, improper tourism development and social change are all contributing to the erosion of an integral part of the Egyptian culture and social identity. General recommendations were given on ways to save this valuable heritage from loss; these mainly relate documentation, protecting cultural properties, raising awareness and behaviour modification.

The Assessment of the Authenticity and Conservation Status of Cultural Landscapes in Southern Transylvania (Romania)

The vernacular architectural style is on the verge of disappearing in Transylvania because of the depopulation of the Saxon villages of German origin as a result of massive migration to Germany. The nomination of Hărman cultural property on the UNESCO list is part of an international legal framework, and the Convention on the Vernacular Architectural Heritage protects this architectonic style because it represents the expression of a community’s culture, as well as its relations with the territory and cultural diversity. The proposed area includes a 63.47 ha perimeter of the historic centre of Hărman, consisting of a compact group of 260 houses and the entire fortified Evangelical Church. A buffer zone of 290.09 ha is included alongside this area. Thus, we propose that Hărman be nominated for the Cultural Evolutive Landscape Category under cultural criteria ii, iii, and v. The assessment of the authenticity and conservation status of Hărman cultural property was carried out by applying the following criteria: form and design, materials and substances, use and functions, and location and positioning, which apply to the tangible features of the landscape. Furthermore, the evaluation of intangible heritage was achieved by applying the following criteria: traditions, techniques and management system, language and other forms of intangible heritage, spirit, and feelings.

Film Tourism for Heritage Conservation and Promotion

Film tourism has been recognized as a key instrument in the process of destination development and co-creation of tourist experiences. The promotion of any destination through films can result in attracting more visitors and subsequently, formulation of policies favoring that destination which aid in the conservation and promotion of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the place. In this context, this article analyses the case of Nrityagram, a village formed by the international community of Indian classical dancers. The work highlights the possibility that if promoted as a film tourism destination, Nrityagram can contribute to the promotion and conservation of Indian cultural dance, a form of intangible heritage. The work is primarily qualitative in nature and draws upon existing literature as well as the experiences gained from the field visit made to the said site.

Conservation of the Ngalai/Berasik Ritualistic Performance of Bajau/Sama’ Ethnic Group for Sustainable Intangible Heritage

The ritualistic performing arts of ngalai/berasik practised by the ethnic group of Bajau/Sama’ in Sabah that serves as a healing medium in the traditional context has become more and more marginalised by the generation today. Traditionally, the ritual of ngalai/berasik is a performance practice that is used for healing. The ritualistic performance based on the belief of animism is one emerged from human action or desire to find a relationship with the metaphysical or the supernatural because naturally, humans have their own religious emotion. The objective of this study is to highlight the reasonability for preserving the ritualistic performing arts of ngalai/berasik as an intangible heritage in the form of unique ritualistic performing arts. This study applies the ethnographic method to understand the relationship between the behavior and culture through the observation towards the informants. It is hoped that the study outcome will justify the ritual of ngalai/berasik as performing arts in the form of intangible heritage so that it continues to be significant in the current contex for the sustainability of the cultural heritage.

Curating Action: Rethinking Ethnographic Collections and the Role/Place of Performing Arts in the Museum

Dance involves a set of movements that embody social memory. Such forms of intangible heritage have presented emerging challenges for curatorship. This paper draws from the experience of the Musées de la civilisation (Quebec City, Canada) to address ideas of collecting and curating in the performing arts. By presenting the travelling exhibition Rebel Bodies, an international collaborative project that highlights contemporary dance and movement as universal modes of creativity and expression, the paper reflects on the social role of the museum in sustaining creativity within the community as well as on the use of ethnographic material to collectively (through museums and artists) curate the intangible. In treating notions of natural, virtuoso, urban, multi, political, and atypical bodies, this exhibition brings together performers and creative artists as well as industries in the museum setting. Such interplays, it is argued, encourage the sustainable participation of artistic communities/industries and further highlight museums as dynamic loci for the promotion of social change.Keywords: performing arts, intangible cultural heritage, museum, dance, performance, participation, reenactment, artists

‘Touch’ Your Heritage: An Interactive Installation on Multilingual Identity

Using an online and touch screen interface, this paper explores language and cultural identity as a form of intangible heritage. The relationship between language and cultural identity has spawned several studies in various disciplines in the past few decades. This study represents a first attempt at visualising some of the issues relevant to cultural identity discussed by linguists, psychologists and cultural studies experts in an interdisciplinary collaboration between linguists and digital design heritage researchers and computer programmers. For the purpose of this study, an interactive program that centres on the issue of cultural identity, heritage and language was developed to engage participants. Via a touch screen, several prompts and triggers related to culture, identity and heritage were embedded for participants to choose. The engagement includes allowing the participants to emphasize one identity trait over another as well as minimising the less relevant traits. Participants explore their perception of others and themselves via touching and manipulating the onscreen text. These participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire that was designed to elicit their thoughts about the program and on the relationship between cultural identity and language. The findings indicate that the participants considered language to be a crucial element of their identity and heritage though the different ethnic groups attributed different reasons for this response. It affirmed the “Touch my heritage” multilingual identity programme as a successful way to engage participants to think about complex and abstract issues such as culture and identity.

The links between safeguarding language and safeguarding musical heritage

Like other forms of intangible heritage, traditional music cultures have been adversely affected by the major economic, social, and technological shifts of recent decades. The resultant changes in musical contexts, function, prestige, and modes of transmission have jeopardised the vitality and viability of many musical genres. Efforts to actively support the sustainability of endangered music heritage are developing, often in the context of the emerging field of 'applied ethnomusicology'. The more established field of language maintenance has conceptual, theoretical, and pragmatic parallels with safeguarding music, and these synergies are arguably of great importance to the swift development of effective mechanisms to support viable and vibrant music cultures. This paper identifies areas where language maintenance holds potential to inform pathways towards sustaining endangered musical heritage, and explores one of them in depth - the tension between documenting endangered languages and attempting to revitalise them.