Scotland’s ‘living’ heritage may garner international acclaim but lacks a legal protective framework. Stephen Collins calls for a more robust approach to safeguarding intangible cultural assets.
From the island of St Kilda 40 miles west of the Hebrides, to Edinburgh’s splendid Georgian New Town, Scotland is a nation rich in cultural heritage, some of which is Unesco-protected. As well as the country’s globally renowned castles and monuments, Scotland has an enormous resource of intangible cultural heritage (ICH).
Sometimes referred to as “living heritage”, intangible cultural heritage includes the vast array of traditional songs, stories, crafts and practices that provide the character and backdrop to Scotland’s cultural identity. In Scotland, as everywhere, there are two main risks to living heritage. One, that it can be lost if it is not passed down from one generation to the next and two, that it is at risk of being misused, misinterpreted or misrepresented...Keep reading on The Conversation.
From the island of St Kilda 40 miles west of the Hebrides, to Edinburgh’s splendid Georgian New Town, Scotland is a nation rich in cultural heritage, some of which is Unesco-protected. As well as the country’s globally renowned castles and monuments, Scotland has an enormous resource of intangible cultural heritage (ICH).
Sometimes referred to as “living heritage”, intangible cultural heritage includes the vast array of traditional songs, stories, crafts and practices that provide the character and backdrop to Scotland’s cultural identity. In Scotland, as everywhere, there are two main risks to living heritage. One, that it can be lost if it is not passed down from one generation to the next and two, that it is at risk of being misused, misinterpreted or misrepresented...Keep reading on The Conversation.