From Folklore to Living Heritage: A Contribution to the Development of UNESCO’s Contribution to the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

The adoption in 2003 of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was the major milestone in UNESCO’s action concerning intangible or living heritage (initially called folklore) that started more than fifty years ago. That Convention replaced the not entirely successful 1989 Recommendation on the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore, the first UNESCO legal instrument in this domain. This study presents aspects of a large number of dedicated expert and statutory meetings that contributed to these texts and in UNESCO programmes such as the Living Human Treasure programme and the Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. It tries to give an insight in the changing objectives and discourse with which experts, states and UNESCO contributed to this long history. That evolution is illustrated by the constant change in name and definition given to the subject matter itself (from “folklore” to “living heritage”) and by the changing objectives of all this action. Special attention is given to the preparation of the 2003 Convention, to its implementation after its entry into force in 2006, and to the new objectives that its Governing Organs, guided by UNESCO, have been trying to provide it with. Where appropriate, reference is made to contributions from Czech experts and the Czech Republic.