The Routledge Companion to Intangible Cultural Heritage

This collection provides an in-depth and up-to-date examination of the concept of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the issues surrounding its value to society. Critically engaging with the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the book also discusses local-level conceptualizations of living cultural traditions, practices and expressions, and reflects on the efforts that seek to safeguard them. Exploring a global range of case studies, the book considers the diverse perspectives currently involved with intangible cultural heritage and presents a rich picture of the geographic, socioeconomic and political contexts impacting research in this area. With contributions from established and emerging scholars, public servants, professionals, students and community members, this volume is also deeply enhanced by an interdisciplinary approach which draws on the theories and practices of heritage and museum studies, anthropology, folklore studies, ethnomusicology, and the study of cultural policy and related law. The Routledge Companion to Intangible Cultural Heritage undoubtedly broadens the international heritage discourse and is an invaluable learning tool for instructors, students and practitioners in the field.

Michelle L. Stefano is the Co-Director of Maryland Traditions, the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council, USA. She is also Visiting Assistant Professor in the American Studies Department at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), teaching students museum and heritage studies, cultural research and documentation, as well as collaborating with other scholars across disciplines on research projects focused on culture, place, and community.

Peter Davis is Emeritus Professor of Museology in the International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies at Newcastle University, UK. He is honorary editor of Archives of Natural History, the journal of the Society for the History of Natural History, and a series editor for Heritage Matters. His research interests include the interactions between nature, culture and concepts of place and space; he has published widely on ecomuseums and intangible cultural heritage.