par Bortolotto, Chiara Maria
Référence La Ricerca folklorica, 64, page (7-17)
Publication Publié, 2011-10
Article révisé par les pairs
Résumé : The work deals with the problem of the "authenticity" of intangible cultural heritage, which is no longer a requirement for UNESCO recognition procedures yet continues to provoke a debate between anthropologists on one hand and local actors on the other. Starting with the case of the Shinto shrine of Ise Jingu in Japan, the author traces the evolution of UNESCO's idea of authenticity and its formal abandonment in connection with intangible heritage. However, while the procedures now appear to move towards the acceptance of positions long sustained by the academics, there remains the force of local groups that build their heritage locally and refuse to consider it an asset that is not primarily and essentially authentic. The result is a stalemate that clearly reveals the gap between the culture viewed by theorists as an analytical concept and the "culture" used by social actors as a political tool.