UNESCO on the Ground

Michael Dylan Foster is Associate Professor of Folklore and East Asian Studies at Indiana University. He is author of Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Yōkai (2009), The Book of Yōkai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore (2015), and numerous articles on Japanese folklore, literature, and media. Lisa Gilman is Associate Professor of Folklore and English at the University of Oregon. She researches dance, gender, and politics in Malawi and has published on the use of women's dancing in Malawi's political sphere. She has also done extensive research with US veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

"All in all, this important new volume sheds welcome light on issues that have been adumbrated in the academic literature regarding UNESCO and the safeguarding of intangible heritage"—International Journal of Intangible Heritage"[T]his is an excellent and useful book for both individual and classroom learning.Vol. 11.1 2017"—Museum Anthropology Review"The prose is engaging, focused, tightly edited, and although theoretically nuanced, includes abundant ethnographic examples making it approachable for undergraduates."—Western Folklore"UNESCO on the Ground provides valuable insights into local perspectives on UNESCO and ICH nomination processes that help in understanding the interplay between local contexts and global heritage regimes. it is an intriguing read for scholars in the field of cultural heritage because it discusses debates about cultural heritage from an 'on- the- ground' and comparative perspective."—Journal of American Folklore"This volume constitutes an important resource for those who would like to study—and especially to teach—how the concept of "intangible cultural heritage" has been deployed internationally in the twenty-first century"—Journal of Folklore Research"ICH safeguarding programmes and scholarship studiously avoid the word 'folklore', typically eliding folklore studies and public folklore. This volume demonstrates through empirically rich case studies how folklorists are uniquely equipped to illuminate the transformations of form, practice, and social functions through ICH, as well as ambiguous consequencesof these transformations."—Folklore"The book is important for researchers and curators alike in that it provides insightful examples and critical discussions within an overarching framework."—Asian Ethnology

• 1 IntroductionMichael Dylan Foster[Section: Local Studies]2 Voices on the Ground: Kutiyattam, UNESCO, and the Heritage of HumanityLeah Lowthorp3 The Economic Imperative of UNESCO Recognition: A South Korean Shamanic RitualKyoim Yun4 Demonic or Cultural Treasure? Local Perspectives on Vimbuza, ICH, and UNESCO in MalawiLisa Gilman5 Imagined UNESCOs: Interpreting ICH on a Japanese IslandMichael Dylan Foster6 Macedonia, UNESCO, and Intangible Cultural Heritage: The Challenging Fate of TeshkotoCarol Silverman7 Shifting Actors and Power Relations: Contentious Local Responses to the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Contemporary ChinaZiying You[Section: Critical Discussion]8 Understanding UNESCO: The Importance of Understanding the Organization in Evaluations of Its ICH ProgramsAnthony Seeger9 Learning to Live with ICH: Diagnosis and TreatmentValdimar Tr. Hafstein10 Cultural Forms, Policy Objects, Local AgendasDorothy Noyes