Rationalized authenticity and the transnational spread of intangible cultural heritage
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2019-08
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Towson University. Department of Anthropology, Sociology & Criminal Justice
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Citation of Original Publication
DeSoucey, Michaela, Michael A. Elliott, and Vaughn Schmutz. 2019. "Rationalized authenticity and the transnational spread of intangible cultural heritage." Poetics 75. Retrieved September 2, 2021 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2018.11.001).
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
Abstract
The 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted by UNESCO to enshrine and preserve exemplars of the intangible heritage of humanity – practices, traditions, and cultural expressions – on a global register. In our view, this convention highlights a tension between the valorization of cultural diversity on one hand and the universal relevance and value of masterpieces of intangible heritage to all humankind on the other. We introduce the term rationalized authenticity to refer to processes by which this tension is mitigated through simultaneous 1) fostering of a diversity of ways that heritage may be expressed or understood and 2) translation into rationalized forms that demonstrate the transnational relevance of cultural heritage. Based on a comparative analysis of three diverse examples of heritage on UNESCO’s list from outside the core of the cultural world system – tango from Argentina and Uruguay, acupuncture and moxibustion from China, and the Kodály concept from Hungary – we show how rationalized authenticity encourages the adoption of alternative definitions of cultural heritage and also facilitates the transnational spread and transformation of select masterpieces of intangible heritage.