The Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which was passed by UNESCO in 2003, formalised a distinction between a heritage that is tangible in its materiality and another form of heritage that is about skills, crafts and knowledge. This distinction has caused considerable debate, in regards to legal instruments, recognition, preservation and impacts. Within this debate we aim to contribute to research that investigates the rationales and repercussions of this distinction, and to critically consider the implicit assumption that the distinction is universally relevant. We are particularly interested in exploring the nature of intangible heritage, its malleability and change. To this end we focus on the tensions between different forms of living heritage and the impact of heritage nomination – what factors influence whether the latter results in fossilisation of heritage or whether the ’intangible heritage’ will survive its nomination? Intangible heritage takes many different forms, all of which raise particular intellectual and social challenges. In our immediate research objectives we focus on so-called ‘heritage-language’ and on food heritage. Both are integral to how communities maintain distinctiveness; they are transmitted between generations, can travel, and are essentially performative forms of heritage. Yet, they can also be malleable and adaptive. They, therefore, raise fundamental questions about authenticity and how change can be absorbed or, alternatively, be disruptive of social cohesion. In doing so this research may challenge some of the presumptions embedded within the philosophy of the tangible-intangible distinction.
Partner, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
University Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern Studies
Assistant Director, HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies
Graduate Member, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
Indigenous Studies Discussion Group, Founder/Convener
PhD Student in Archaeology
Graduate Member, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
PhD Student in Archaeology
Graduate Member, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
PhD Student in Archaeology
Deputy Director, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
Reader in Regional Transformation and Economic Security, Department of Land Economy
01223 764048
Partner, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
Senior Lecturer in Classics (Classical Art & Archaeology)
Director, Museum of Classical Archaeology
Director of Archives
01223 338879
Partner, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
Director of The Institute of Criminology
Professor in Criminology and Criminal Justice
01223 335369
Graduate Member, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
PhD Student in Archaeology
Partner, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
Teaching Associate, Department of Archaeology
Partner, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer Professor of the Deep History and Archaeology of Africa
Graduate Member, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
PhD Student in Archaeology
Member of the Yangshao Culture: 100 Year Research History and Heritage Impact project
Graduate Member, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
PhD Student in Archaeology
Partner, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
Assistant Professor in Heritage Studies, Department of Archaeology
Graduate Member, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
PhD Student in Archaeology
PhD title: The significance of heritage in dispersed communities: Portuguese and Macanese as a case study
Heritage and Colonialism Discussion Group, Founder/Convener
Graduate Member, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
PhD Student in Archaeology
PhD Title: (Re)use and valuation of historic buildings - a comparison between the AHD and private individuals
Director Emeritus, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
Emeritus Professor of European Prehistory and Heritage Studies, Department of Archaeology
01223 333522
Graduate Member, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
PhD Student in Archaeology
Postdoctoral Member, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow (UKRI-funded), McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research
Postdoctoral Member, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
Senior Research Associate, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research
Co-Principal Investigator, Yangshao Culture: 100 Year Research History and Heritage Impact Project
Fellow, Cambridge Philosophical Society
Fellow, Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland
Postdoctoral Member, Cambridge Heritage Research Centre
Research Associate