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Research School of Humanities and the Arts · ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
The essential importance of intangible heritage as a core part of human understanding is being increasingly recognised both nationally and internationally. In 2003 UNESCO passed the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage and in so doing explicitly acknowledged the value of forms of cultural knowledge such as performance, song, storytelling and dance, and the practices that underpin tangible artistic outcomes. This course surveys key conventions and associated operational guidelines alongside questions of cultural politics, human rights, ownership and copyright. It explores the role of the museum and digital technology in safeguarding and curating intangible heritage. It also frames intangible heritage as a valuable concept for rethinking heritage as a cultural process in which the relationship between the tangible and intangible are renegotiated. Students are asked to consider intangible heritage in relation to key concepts including affect, identity, performativity, temporality, place, and memory. In so doing they will develop a sophisticated and well-informed approach to heritage work which considers the intangible alongside the material. In addition to Heritage and Museum Studies, this course may be of interest to student in history, anthropology, digital humanities and the performing arts.
Reflective summary, 1000 words (15%) and tutorial presentation, 10-minutes (10%) both focusing on one set reading
Learning outcomes 1, 4
A project centred on a potential subject of intangible heritage making a case for its significance and need for safeguarding using the guidelines and principles as set out by the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee , or a detailed analysis of an existing case study from the Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Register that examines and analyses the expert assessments the action plan and response from the committee, 2000 words
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3
Research essay which involves a critical examination of one or more of the key issues explored during the course, 3000 words
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4
As a 6-unit course, students are expected to spend 130 hours in meeting the study and assessment requirements of the course. The course will consist of 36 contact hours, comprising of one x two hour lecture and one x one hour of tutorial per week over 12 weeks plus 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
N/A Preliminary Reading Alivizatou, Marilena. 2012 Intangible Heritage and the Museum: New Perspectives on Cultural Preservation. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press. Bijsterveld, K. and van Dijck, J. 2009 Sound Souvenirs: Audio Technologies, Memory and Cultural Practices. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. Brosius, Christiane and Karin M. Polit (eds). 2011 Ritual, Heritage and Identity: The Politics of Culture and Performance in a Globalised World. New Dehli; Abingdon: Routledge. Dorfman, Eric (ed.). 2012 Intangible Natural Heritage: New Perspectives on Natural Objects. New York: Routledge. Stefano, Michelle L. and Peter Davis (eds). 2017 The Routledge Companion to Intangible Cultural Heritage. New York: Routledge. Smith, Laurajane and Natsuko Agawa (eds). 2009 Intangible Heritage. New York: Routledge.