Exchanging Knowledges on Best-Practices in Folklore and Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding //Wymiana wiedzy i doświadczeń na temat ochrony, przekazu i promocji folkloru oraz niematerialnego dziedzictwa kulturowego (2023-2025)
The goal of this Horizon 2020-Marie Skłodowska-Curie research project* is to expand on existing theories and best practices in intangible cultural heritage (ICH) documentation, safeguarding, and transmission. By comparing best-practices carried out across the world, specifically in Poland, for the past 20 years of existence of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the PI assessed and applied the ICH-based work to Canada. By taking a multi-disciplinary approach, this research partners with ICH-custodians, academics, and policymakers to examine current policies and practices aimed at protecting and transmitting living heritage elements, including languages and livelihoods. This project’s three broad research questions are:
(1) What are the ways intangible cultural heritage elements are revived, maintained, promoted, and transmitted?
(2) How is cultural performativity contributing to the survival of traditions and ecocultural values in the modern world?
(3) How is ICH pushing the boundaries of cultural and environmental policies, programming, and laws?
Given Canada’s reluctance to ratify the 2003 UNESCO Convention, the research focuses on the ways that ICH policymaking and programming in countries who have signed the 2003 Convention as an example in ICH best-practices. The premise of the project supposes that (a) ICH documentation, safeguarding and transmission must be adapted to local and national needs, values, and frameworks; and (b) that ratifying the 2003 UNESCO Convention is an additional rather than a starting point for ICH work (Pawłowska-Mainville 2023).
Having learned from the wealth of examples of ICH-based work in Poland and in Europe, the hypothesis is that this project will advance the ICH discourse in Canada. This investigation into ICH policymaking and best practices will be valuable for community and family cultural and linguistic mobilization in the 21st century.
Outcomes and knowledge mobility resulting from the project can be found on:
1) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2151-8162
2) https://mainville.wixsite.com/dr-apm/research-contributions
*This research is part of the project No. Polonez Bis1 2021/43/P/HS2/01350, titled “Exchanging Knowledges on Best Practices in Folklore and Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding”, co-funded by the by the National Science Centre and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 945339.
