Cultural Heritage Practice Research Articles

Top-down rural heritage revitalization and economic development: A case study of Tangwei village, Dongguan, Guangdong, China

Tangwei village, located in Dongguan’s rapidly urbanizing Pearl River Delta region, Guangdong, illustrates the challenges and opportunities of balancing heritage preservation with rural revitalization in contemporary China. Designated as a major cultural heritage site in 2006, the village’s preservation strategies reflect the interplay between provincial policies, local government planning, and a broader national emphasis on tourism-driven economic development. This research examines how government-led rural heritage revitalization initiatives shape cultural preservation in Tangwei village. By analyzing this historic village – designated as a Major Cultural Heritage Site under National-level Protection in 2006 – the study reveals how local authorities strategically leverage cultural symbols and heritage practices to promote tourism development, often in ways disconnected from authentic community traditions. The findings demonstrate that while heritage tourism initiatives aim to enhance the village’s visibility and economic group, their top-down implementation primarily serves government economic objectives rather than addressing community preservation needs. Drawing on fieldwork, visual documentation, oral histories, and textual analysis, the study illuminates the complex dynamics between local governance, tourism development imperatives, and rural heritage preservation in contemporary China. It underscores how traditional cultural practices are increasingly commodified and detached from local communities through standardized festivals and artistic interventions. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how state-driven rural revitalization policies reshape heritage landscapes and alter community relationships with traditional spaces in rapidly urbanizing regions.

Constructing a Sustainable Evaluation Framework for AIGC Technology in Yixing Zisha Pottery: Balancing Heritage Preservation and Innovation

This study develops a sustainable evaluation framework for Yixing Zisha pottery design schemes generated by Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) technology, emphasizing the integration of cultural heritage preservation with innovation. As a traditional Chinese craft and a recognized element of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), Yixing Zisha pottery is celebrated for its cultural depth and unique design techniques. Guided by emotional design theory, the framework assesses aesthetic, functional, and emotional dimensions through hierarchical analysis. Using the Delphi method and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), primary and secondary indicators were identified and weighted based on expert consensus. AIGC technology, underpinned by advanced AI algorithms, generates culturally authentic yet innovative design solutions, striking a balance between tradition and modernity. The findings reveal that this approach enhances design diversity, functionality, and efficiency while fostering global cultural awareness. By providing practical guidance for integrating AIGC technology into traditional craftsmanship, the research offers a replicable model for other traditional crafts and contributes to the theoretical advancement of sustainable cultural heritage practices. By bridging the gap between digital innovation and heritage preservation, this study addresses the critical need for sustainable strategies in the creative industries.

INDIGENOUS CHALLENGES IN GOMBAK, MALAYSIA

The Indigenous community is the hidden gem of Malaysia due to their unique cultural heritage practices. Considering the urbanization and modernization, as promising that will uplift their quality of life, it is important to better understand the issues and challenges faced by the Indigenous community in Gombak in the aspects of economy and heritage which become the objectives of this research. One–on–one interview was conducted with one tourism operator which is a significant entity deeply enmeshed in community engagement initiatives within the Indigenous community in Gombak to gather a significant insight into the issues and challenges that faced by an indigenous community in Gombak. The main findings are they still suffered poverty and backwardness, lack of participation in education among the Indigenous children, irregular employment and uninherited and diminishing heritage. Based on the findings, all the stakeholders, especially the government, should be aware of the difficulties experienced by the Indigenous community in Gombak. This research will be beneficial to stakeholders that have direct or indirect relationships with the topics discussed, namely the tourism operators, the public sector as well as the local government.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of intangible cultural heritage among youth in Sichuan, China: a cross-sectional study

PurposeThe preservation and transmission of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) relies heavily on the interest and commitment of younger generations. In Sichuan, China, youths serve as a conduit and steward to the inheritance passed down from previous generations. Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) studies have been advantageous in providing insights into a community’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviors towards safeguarding heritage. This study investigates the KAP of Sichuan youth regarding ICH.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a quantitative methodology, utilizing a survey questionnaire on the KAP dimensions. The study involved 384 youths between the ages of 15 and 24 across 21 cities in Sichuan, China. Statistical analyses were conducted using both descriptive and inferential statistics.FindingsThe results of the study showed that Sichuan youths had a high level of knowledge of ICH and a high level of positive attitudes towards ICH but scored in the moderate range for ICH practices. There were significant differences in the knowledge of ICH among youths of different ages and education levels. In addition, there was a strong correlation between knowledge and attitudes, a strong correlation between knowledge and practices and a moderate correlation between attitudes and practices.Originality/valueThis study is the first to investigate the KAP of ICH among youth in Sichuan, China. The findings of this study suggest that several areas—such as ICH categorization (knowledge), approaches to safeguarding ICH (knowledge), levels of satisfaction with ICH safeguarding effectiveness (attitudes), ICH product purchasing (practices) and membership to clubs or associations aimed at safeguarding ICH (practices)—need to be further strengthened. Reinforcement in these areas will encourage positive behaviors and perspectives among the younger generation and facilitate in the management of ICH by institutions or organizations.

In the potter’s hand: tourism and the everyday practices of authentic intangible cultural heritage in a pottery village

ABSTRACT Whilst widely recognised as important, the concept of authenticity remains highly contested, particularly in relation to sustainable intangible cultural heritage (ICH) tourism. Using the empirical case of the pottery village of Margarites, Crete, the conceptual goal of this paper is to explore from the host community perspective the question of what authentic ICH is, as well as what this means in everyday practices of ceramic crafting in the context of increasing tourism demand for authentic pottery products and experiences. Empirically, we explore how tourism impacts the perceptions and practices of Margarites community members regarding the authenticity of their ceramic crafting ICH. On the basis of interviews and observations, our findings provide three main contributions to the literature. Firstly, based on our findings, we conceptualise authenticity in relation to ICH as constituted by the 3Ps: people-related, place-related and product-related approaches that are the outcome of social relations. Secondly, we provide a host community perspective on the perceptions of authenticity as influenced by tourism in relation to ICH of ceramic crafting. Finally, our empirical case of a Cretan pottery village affirms existing insights about understanding the sustainability challenges of authentic ICH tourism.

Role of Community Empowerment in the Sustainable Cultural Heritage Management: A Review

The study's objective is to examine the role of cultural heritage in socially sustainable development and, through the descriptive analysis, provide a comprehensive understating concerning cultural heritage management, social empowerment, and sustainable development. The study highlights the importance of long-term planning, community engagement, and strengthening partnerships in developing sustainable cultural heritage management. Quality integration with economic, social-cultural, and environmental values is essential for further sustainable cultural heritage conservation. The descriptive analysis utilized in the study provides the theoretical understanding of community empowerment in the cultural heritage and its positive effects, such as social cohesion, well-being, and conflict elimination. These contributions represent the prerequisite of socially sustainable development. The documentary evidence analysis demonstrates the essence of community engagement in cultural heritage planning. Municipality document analysis reveals constraints of cultural heritage practice, particularly community participation organization in cultural heritage management. Distinct authors highlight the core contributors to successful community involvement in sustainable cultural tourism development: Knowing sustainable development principles, cultural heritage potential, and possible positive and negative implications of tourism. Practical cooperation between governmental, non-governmental, and educational organizations generates the prerequisite for effective cultural heritage management. The national strategy document for cultural heritage highlights the importance of social inclusivity in heritage planning and management. However, community participation in the process needs improvement, particularly in the context of Akhmeta municipality.

At the crossroads: photography, ecology and heritage in Istanbul

This article looks at three contemporary photo-based projects that reference Istanbul’s visual histories and document its endangered ecologies. These works take a critical approach to cultural heritage practices in contrast to official discourses that serve state power or justify capital accumulation. Osman Bozkurt’s Scenes, Ali Taptık’s Topographic Nostalgia, and Cemre Yeşil and Maria Sturm’s For Birds’ Sake focus on the relationships between the human and non-human elements of urban geographies. Their projects conceive of heritage as a practice that combines ecological concerns with preserving the cultural remnants of the urban past. Whether critiquing the aesthetic conventions of the picturesque, evoking an affective engagement with the viewer, or conjuring memories of displaced populations, these artists explore different visual approaches to embodying and remembering urban space and place. Taking a cue from their works, this article contemplates the possibility of envisioning heritage futures that can protect Istanbul’s biodiversity while being inclusive of cultural difference.

Analysis and Research on the Present Situation of Cuju Culture in the Perspective of Intangible Heritage

Research on the history, concept, connotation and related practices of intangible cultural heritage provides the two most crucial elements for the transmission of Cuju culture, namely experience and paradigm. At the practical level, the declaration of intangible cultural heritage of Cuju can provide an effective path for the inheritance of traditional national sports. At the theoretical level, the theory of intangible cultural heritage enriches the connotation of Cuju culture at the epistemological level. Therefore, this project chooses the vision of intangible cultural heritage as the research field of Cuju culture inheritance and protection, and adopts the documentary method, expert interview method and logical analysis method to research and analyze the inheritance and protection of Cuju culture under the perspective of intangible culture. Through the research on the status of the development of cuju sport, people's knowledge of cuju culture is enhanced, so that cuju culture can be better developed and spread. This paper analyzes the development and inheritance of Cuju from the perspective of Chinese intangible cultural heritage, and provides valuable references to the measures taken for its protection and development in contemporary times.

Generative Repair and Graceful Decay: Interview with Caitlin DeSilvey

Professor Caitlin DeSilvey works as a cultural geographer and lecturer at the University of Exeter. Her work explores the ways in which built environments change through aging, including processes of repair, decay, and wasting. She collaborates with photographers, architects, designers, repairers, heritage practitioners, and with students in her teaching. DeSilvey fosters sensibilities of how to collaborate with the buildings and structures that ‘tell us what they need’, and with the living ecologies that contribute to the transformation of these decaying matters, ‘to allow them space in the future’ of these environments. Caitlin DeSilvey is the author of Curated Decay: Heritage Beyond Saving (University of Minnesota Press, 2017); a co-author of Heritage Futures: Comparative Approaches to Natural and Cultural Heritage Practices (UCL Press, 2020); and a co-editor of After Discourse: Things, Affects, Ethics (Routledge, 2020).

Correction: Comprehensive systematic review on virtual reality for cultural heritage practices: coherent taxonomy and motivations

Correction: Comprehensive systematic review on virtual reality for cultural heritage practices: coherent taxonomy and motivations

A History of Management of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Resources within the Sukuma: A Case of Magu District from 1860s to 2020s

This paper discusses on a history of management of the intangible cultural heritage resources within the Sukuma people in Magu district, Mwanza region, from 1860s to 2020s. In particular, the paper traced on the management of the intangible cultural heritage practices among the Sukuma people in Magu district during the pre-colonial period from 1860s-1880s. The qualitative and quantitative methods were used where data both primary and secondary sources were collected through oral interviews and Archive documents from the Tanzania National Archives (TNA) and the Sukuma Research Committee Archives, libraries, digital and internet sources. The paper applied the theory of Historical materialism that underscores historical changes corresponding with the change in material value. The findings indicate that Sukuma people still practice their traditional cultural heritages. Dances and songs, traditional religious beliefs, norms and values and oral narratives are among the intangible cultural heritages which are practiced by Sukuma people in Magu district from pre-colonial era. The presence of traditional chiefs, museum centre, ritual practice areas, traditional norms and values and dances and songs cultural heritage practices are the methods used by Sukuma people to manage their intangible cultural heritages resources. The process of management of the cultural heritage resources should not neglect the intangible cultural heritage resources, thus it is through the intangible cultural aspects one can reveal the facts on the tangible cultural aspects.

Rodney Harrison, coord. – Heritage Futures: Comparative Approaches to Natural and Cultural Heritage Practices

Rodney Harrison, coord. – Heritage Futures: Comparative Approaches to Natural and Cultural Heritage Practices

Significance of cultural heritage practices in karst landscape management: 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Significance of cultural heritage practices in karst landscape management: 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Collaborative Design in Kinetic Performance: Safeguarding the Uilleann Pipes through Inertial Motion Capture

This paper explores the possibilities of motion capture as a tool to preserve and study Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) practices such as playing instruments. The Uilleann pipes are both an instrument and a culture with a now strong community following and recovering after being almost extinguished several times in Ireland. The playing and making of the Uilleann pipes was incorporated into the Representative list of the UNESCO Convention of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017. This experience was performed in collaboration with several Uillean pipe players who contributed at every stage of the performance recording with comments and orientation. Some of these comments were also later formally kept as interviews to the players. The technical capture of the movements was done using a Rokoko Smart suit and paired Smart gloves which the piper wears for the performance. The resulting motion file was then cleaned and redirected to Blender 3D, a community made software package that allows the incorporation of a renderable avatar that helps for the dissemination of the performance. This recording process, called Inertial system, allows performers to perform almost anywhere and to capture the movements of the players with good accuracy. This process of recording and collaboration with the community is a cost-effective solution that can be of particular interest for scholars as well as for cultural communities wishing to archive these practices quickly. This design of technology and collaborative recording allows for a round experience that combined the detail of the technically enhanced recording with the interpretive nuance of the player that enriches the capturing process with mentions to how it is ‘relatively’ comfortable for the player and how efficient it is in terms of resulting detail. This collaboratively designed experience also provides the three aspects of intangible heritage preservation: supports the community -who can learn from the resulting animation; helps situating the practice within the cultural practice of the community-as they are part of the process; and helps materialise the output permitting its digital cataloguing, archival, and storage.

Reverse-Engineering History: Re-presenting the Chichester Tablet Using Laser Scanning and 3D Printing

ABSTRACT 3D digitization methods have become essential tools in cultural heritage practice. Methods like laser scanning and photogrammetry are being widely applied for the conservation of priceless objects and for enabling audience engagement with history. Such data have value as a new wave of multisensory museum practice ripples through the sector and could provide a perfect use for the enormous corpus of 3D data in cultural heritage. This paper documents such an application, where laser scanning has been used in conjunction with 3D printing to re-present the Chichester Roman tablet, an object of key importance in early Romano-British history, to new audiences. It details the process used to digitize the tablet and recreate different versions of its missing text and its state of preservation. It describes how such data can play a role beyond just documentation. Discussed is how such approaches enrich families’ engagement in cultural heritage and how such material can used as didactic material in higher education.

Stories beyond Books: Teacher Storytelling Supports Children’s Literacy Skills

ABSTRACT Given the changing demographics of young children served by U.S. schools, educational equity practices must include ways of sustaining cultural heritage practices of children from ethno-linguistic, minoritized, and under-resourced communities. In the present study, we partnered with a bilingual Head Start serving mostly children of immigrant families from Latin American backgrounds to explore the effectiveness of a classroom-based oral storytelling program grounded in the cultural heritage practices of Spanish-speaking communities. We trained lead teachers (n = 12) in either an oral storytelling program or a storybook reading program. Research Findings: Analyses were conducted at the child level (n = 185) and provided initial evidence for the benefits of integrating oral storytelling in preschool classrooms to enhance the quality of teacher language input and support the development of children’s narrative skills. Practice or Policy: Findings contribute to our knowledge base on the differential effects of story sharing modality and have implications for the education of young Latine children.

Multi-Ontological Dissonances and ICH Safeguarding Practices: The Case of the Patios in Cordova

Abstract The contradictions embedded in the safeguarding practices of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) safeguarding practices have been the focus of analysis for the last couple of decades. In addition, the positioning, roles of scholars and their dilemmas are commonly analysed as a dual polarization: those scholars who analyse and criticise ICH regimes from the outside; as opposed to those who participate with a critical academic perspective in ICH safeguarding practices. This article adopts a different approach and proposes the concept “multi-ontological dissonances”. By this term, we refer to the simultaneous ontologies of ICH that take place both in the different actors involved in ICH heritage regimes and in the safeguarding instruments themselves. We analyse three levels of dissonances: various models and concepts of ICH coexist in the practices and discourses among different ICH researchers/specialists; among the safeguarding instruments and the researchers and even inside a single researcher/specialist. The case of the Fiesta of the Patios in Cordova will be used as an example of the multi-ontological dissonances in safeguarding practices.

Comprehensive systematic review on virtual reality for cultural heritage practices: coherent taxonomy and motivations

Comprehensive systematic review on virtual reality for cultural heritage practices: coherent taxonomy and motivations

Intangible Cultural Heritage as Right to Livelihood

Constitutional provisions in Malaysia seem to have given rights to the communities, groups, and individuals (CGIs) to manifest and protect their intangible cultural heritage under the notion of the right to livelihood. However, the rights granted to the people appear to be restricted under the existing legal framework, and this has raised the question of whether a violation of human rights as guaranteed under the Federal Constitution has occurred, in view of the position of Islam as the religion of the Federation. Apart from focusing on the issue of the groups and individuals' right to livelihood in practicing traditional performances in Malaysia, this paper highlights the significant role of the concerned authorities under the relevant intangible cultural heritage-related legislations. The importance of substantial and procedural fairness to enable groups and individuals to practice intangible cultural heritage as their right to livelihood is also highlighted in this paper. The paper concludes with the recommendation that state authorities' control of intangible cultural heritage practices must be exercised with due care and diligence to ensure that the livelihood of the people is not jeopardized, in line with Articles 5 and 8 of the Federal Constitution.

Participatory Heritage On Social Networking Sites: The Discussion of Main Theoretical Concepts

The field researching cultural heritage communication on social networking sites, is still developing its theoretical foundations, while participatory heritage, as one of the newest concepts born in this field, is still lacking its grounded conceptualization, especially emerging from practice-based research studies. This theoretical study suggests to integrate different theoretical considerations that derives from cultural heritage studies, social networking sites research and theory of participation, and proposes to refine the concept of participatory heritage believing that the primary understanding of the context as “participatory” lies not in the environment itself, but in the activity that takes place in it. Therefore, I offer that participatory heritage could be understood as a new shift in cultural heritage practice that emerge through collaboration and communication of people on social networking sites.