Revue académique – Balgarski folklor 2023, 4éme édition

Revue académique – Balgarski folklor 2023, 4éme édition

2003 Convention (special bilingual edition)

The issue is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage – one of the most important international documents with a crucial role for the conceptualization of cultural heritage not only as a value from the past, but also as a living human practice. The texts dedicated here to this theme are organized in two parts.

The first part contains articles from foreign and Bulgarian scholars, who analyze the development of the notion of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) as well as the policies of its safeguarding within these 20 years: pertinent problems in this field concerning countries of Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America are investigated in a comparative plan; through the prism of the normative documents of the leading international organizations safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage is outlined as a factor for achieving sustainable development; certain approaches of the communities for the safeguarding of their ICH are studied on the basis of the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices; and the conceptual changes in the understanding of the cultural heritage and the politics of its safeguarding, that have been brought by 2003 Convention are discussed within the realization of the Living Human Treasures Bulgaria National System.

In the second part of the issue experts and scholars who have participated in the implementation of the 2003 Convention in Bulgaria share their reflections, observations and experience – problems concerning the nomination process for inscription in the Bulgarian National Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Elements; the discrepancy between local stereotypes and practices of understanding cultural heritage on the one hand and, on the other hand, the meanings implied in 2003 Convention; the measures foreseen in the 2003 Convention for safeguarding specific local cultural practices and the role of these practices in the construction of local identities; the importance of the NGOs for the realization of cultural policies resulting from the 2003 Convention; the leading role of the chitalishta in Bulgaria in the implementation of the 2003 Convention, as well as successful chitalishte projects in this respect.