Awareness of the Intangible Value of Cultural Spaces

Kwon Huh

Professor, vice-President, Mongolia International University, Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)

Keywords: intangible cultural heritage, cultural space, unesco.

Abstract: The paper was prepared to encourage the growth of an awareness of the intangible values of cultural space

and the importance of their safeguarding, as well as the forming of networks between field researchers, NGOs

and local communities. Asia and the Pacific region has long been a melting pot of cultures. However, the

importance of intangible heritage has not well reflected in the cultural heritage policies. The UNESCO’s

World Heritage project starts from a tangible perspective, focused on the outstanding universal value of

physical heritage. There needs to be an intangible approach, one that studies cultural spaces closely as a living

heritage. The role of community in the safeguarding of heritage also differs in the tangible and intangible

approaches. Community is a very important concept in the safeguarding of both tangible and intangible

heritage. In the case of intangible heritage, communities are the actors that carry out its transmission and

enactment, allowing the heritage to live on. One specific solution towards this end is the integrated protection

of tangible and intangible heritage. The UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible

Cultural Heritage, which emphasizes the inseparability of tangible, intangible and natural heritage, will play

an especially important role. Cultural spaces are where history and culture comes together. First, areas with

historical, aesthetic, folk culture and religious value need to be identified. This should be followed by efforts

such as research, documentation and safeguarding of their intangible value. To this end, specific measures

such as research on the available documents, creation of networks between neighbouring countries and

information exchange should be carried out.

1 EVOLUTION OF CONCEPT OF

HERITAGE

Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live

with today, and what we pass on to future generations.

Irreplaceability is its nature. If it is damaged, it cannot

be fully restored. Syria is one of the terrible cases

whose heritages were sadly destroyed during civil

war. Once the cultural assets are destroyed, it is

impossible to regain their original form. It is natural

that all nations pay close attention and put in efforts

to protect their own heritage. This is because a

nation’s heritage represents its identity and

contributes to the heritage of humanity.

Cultural heritage, which forms the basis of

cultural identity and diversity, becomes crucial as a

foundation for sustainable development and a source

of creativity. Furthermore, as inter-religion, inter-

ethnic conflicts intensify in the 21st century, the

importance of cultural heritage as a bridge towards

peace and inter-cultural understanding is coming

under the spotlight.

In keeping with such changes in understanding

and awareness, the means of safeguarding cultural

heritage are also evolving to become more integrated

and holistic. While preservation measures in the past

centred on buildings, archaeological and historical

sites, a more integrated perspective is being widely

introduced with the enhanced awareness of the

importance of natural and intangible heritage.

The target of protection in the past was focused on

‘points/spots’, in specific sites of heritage, but has

since expanded to ‘area’-based protection, comprised

of core zone and wide buffer zones around the core

areas, giving consideration to the surrounding

environment and scenery. These two methods are the

widely used approaches that most countries have been

adopting to preserve their heritages. However, in

recent, heritage safeguarding has moved beyond

simple spots and areas to three-dimensional

protection, with the value of intangible heritage being

emphasized as the source of cultural development and

creativity.

This change in heritage management was the

result of some social and political factors:

Huh, K.

Awareness of the Intangible Value of Cultural Spaces.

DOI: 10.5220/0010303700003051

In Proceedings of the Inter national Conference on Culture Heritage, Education, Sustainable Tourism, and Innovation Technologies (CESIT 2020), pages 82-86

ISBN: 978-989-758-501-2

1) Participation of local communities,

2) Expansion of governance system where the role

of the private sector is emphasized,

3) Need for sustainable development for the future

of the planet, and

4) Importance of cultural diversity and intangible

heritage becoming the focus in conservation

and management policies

2 EXPANSION OF

INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS

OF INTANGIBLE CULTURAL

HERITAGE

With an increasing international awareness of

intangible heritage, UNESCO adopted the

Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible

Cultural Heritage in 2003 as the first international

legal instrument in the field of culture. The

convention was widely supported by countries

particularly in Asia and Africa as soon as it was

adopted and currently has 178 states parties since its

birth. It is recognized as one of UNESCO’s most

well-known and influential cultural instrument

together with the World Heritage Convention.

Intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from

generation to generation, is constantly recreated by

communities and groups in response to their

environment, their interaction with nature and their

history. It provides us with a sense of identity and

continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural

diversity and human creativity. In accordance with

provisions of 2003 Convention, the intangible

cultural heritage means 1) the practices,

representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – 2) as

well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural

spaces associated therewith. The convention is

classifying the ICH elements into five categories,

They are oral traditions and expressions including

language; performing arts; social practices, rituals

and festive events; knowledge and practices

concerning nature and the universe; and traditional

craftsmanship.

In order to safeguard elements spanning across the

above five categories of ICH elements, all measures

have to be taken to ensure their viability. The 2003

Convention recommends the following nine

measures- “identification, documentation, research,

preservation, protection, promotion, enhancement,

transmission, particularly through formal and non-

formal education, as well as the revitalization of the

various aspects of such heritage”.

3 INTANGIBEL HERITAGE AT

RISK

According to the ICOMOS’s report “Heritage at

Risk”, damage to the intangible value of cultural

heritage from the destruction of traditional values due

to commercialization, rapid changes in lifestyle,

destruction of community due to migration, aging

populations, ghettoization, population declines etc. is

becoming more severe with time. Of course, the top

of physical destruction of heritage mainly caused by

development, natural disasters and wars.

This is also true in Korea’s traditional villages,

designated as World Heritage sites. Village

populations are dwindling as younger generations

leave and residents grow older, making it difficult to

maintain the traditional ways of life. The

safeguarding and transmission of heritage is not the

responsibility of a single nation or state but of the

world as a whole. The UNESCO Medium-term

Program and Budget, C/4 states the need to protect

vulnerable intangible heritage very clearly as follows:

“....in discussing the safeguarding of cultural

heritage, intangible cultural heritage is an area that

cannot be overlooked. Intangible heritage, including

symbols and expressions transmitted through oral

tradition, artistic and literary forms, language, way of

life, beliefs and myths, rituals, value systems,

traditional knowledge and various skills and

techniques, are targets of safeguarding.

The current situation on cultural heritage is grave

indeed. Industrialization, rapid urbanization, serious

pollution, various signs of climate change and large-

scale tourism are causing damage, destruction and

loss of cultural heritage. Risk to intangible heritage is

at a peak, as changes in the economic structures

within societies are leading to the extinction of

traditional ways of life.”

Summing up, intangible heritages are diminishing

and being decontextualized in its significance due to

changes in their natural setting or isolation from

cultural spaces (development, migration etc.), rapid

changes in lifestyle (elimination of cultural meaning)

and over-emphasis on the material world (break from

traditions).

Since implementing the Cultural Properties

Protection Act in 1962, Korea has been putting

remarkable efforts and investments into the

protection of tangible and intangible heritage. Key

factors behind the Korean policy were almost the

same of global challenges and trends. They were

urgent needs to 1) recover identity following

liberation from Japanese rules, 2) overcome the side

effects of rapid socioeconomic development, 3)

Awareness of the Intangible Value of Cultural Spaces

restore numerous heritage damaged and devastated

during the three years of Korean War and 4) satisfy

the rapid growth in public demand for cultural

products.

4 REDISCOVERY OF SACRED

CULTURAL SPACES

The Earth is compared to a mother as it cradles all

things in its embrace. Within it are special places that

are sacred and secret to specific individuals, groups

and nations. Typically, such places hold special

meaning in mythology, folk tradition, history or

aesthetically, and play a huge role in establishing

cultural identity and symbols. Sacred or forbidden

places include the geographical and historical places

of dynasties, tombs, spiritual and ritual centres such

as temples and churches, spaces related to livelihoods

such as the changes of seasons, rice farming and

hunting, and spaces related to women, life and special

natures of flora and fauna.

According to historical records of Korea, ritual

area in Korean villages around the 3rd to 5th centuries

AD were called “sodo” and were out of bounds to

ordinary people. Even criminals who entered the area

could not be forcibly arrested. The tradition of sodo

continued to later generations which erected sotdae

poles and sacred trees where ancestral rituals were

held.

Sacred and cultural places can exist anywhere,

from mountains to rivers, plains and even roads.

Aside from the space itself, natural and manmade

symbols such as stupas, towers, buildings, trees,

forests and rocks could become the target of worship,

or symbolic objects could become sacred together

with the space. For places related to religion or

history, there often is an elaborate process of

sanctification.

Places have significance in traditional philosophy

and culture. Physical space is a metaphor for nature.

In oriental philosophy, the entire universe is made up

of three elements- heaven, earth and people. This

perspective deeply influenced how people viewed

nature and the universe. The intangible value of space

is not only unique to Asia. The relationship between

nature and humans can be seen in cultures around the

world as a universal theme.

5 UNESCO’S

INTERDISCIPLINARY

APPROACH TO CULTURAL

SPACES

A cultural approach to places has been the

UNESCO’s long held interest. The structural,

organizational and social functions of physical space

have been continuously studied, as they are the origin

of human civilization and platforms for intercultural

exchange. The various sectors of the UNESCO are

currently conducting projects related to this theme.

Under Social Science Sector are projects such as

human HABITAT and urban planning, while the

Natural Science Sector is conducting the bio-diversity

and Man and Biosphere projects. The Culture Sector

emphasizes the relationship between man and cultural

spaces through the World Heritage and Intangible

Cultural Heritage of Humanity projects.

5.1 Man and Biosphere

Since their appearance on Earth, humans have

engaged in a creative dialogue with biological

diversity. They have elaborated and continue to

maintain complex systems of knowledge and practice

as a result of long-standing histories of interaction

with their natural surroundings. In particular,

indigenous and local communities have been playing

a key role in safeguarding of cultural and bio-

diversities. Rock painting of Altamira Cave in Spain,

rock carvings of Tsodilo in Botswana which are both

on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and Korea’s

Bangudae Rock carvings are evidence of the

relationship between man and nature.

Indigenous local communities occupy 24% of the

world’s land surface. They are custodians of nature,

whose traditional knowledge and ways of life are

crucial intangible assets. Traditional agriculture,

breeding, fishery and traditional medicines are

important living knowledge of humanity. Some

places such as the Kpasse Sacred Forest (Benin) are

protected from logging and overuse as local

communities protect them as sacred. The Royal

Tombs of Joseon Dynasty, Republic of Korea could

be preserved from the development initiatives for the

long period because it was declared as a forbidden

area.

UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB),

launched in the early 1970s aims through the

ecological and social sciences, including the

knowledge of indigenous and local communities, to

reconcile humans and nature by promoting

CESIT 2020 - International Conference on Culture Heritage, Education, Sustainable Tourism, and Innovation Technologies

sustainable development and human well-being.

Biosphere reserves are under national sovereign

jurisdiction, yet share their experience and ideas

nationally, regionally and internationally within

UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

There are over 701 biosphere reserves in 124

countries. Asia and the Pacific has 157 sites.

5.2 World Heritage

In order to protect cultural and natural heritage with

outstanding universal values around the world, the

UNESCO established the 1972 World Heritage

Convention and has inscribed 1121 properties in 167

states parties as world heritage. (869 cultural

properties, 213 natural properties, 39 mixed

properties, 53 endangered properties, 39

transboundary properties).

This convention is highly significant as the first to

protect natural heritage together with cultural

heritage. ‘Cultural landscape’ was added to scope of

cultural heritage in 1992. The Tongariro National

Park of New Zealand, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National

Park of Australia, Rice Terraces of the Philippine

Cordilleras and Agricultural Landscape of Southern

Öland in Sweden are some cultural landscapes being

protected under the Convention.

The World Heritage Committee values intangible

aspects in the following ways according to the need

for integrated heritage conservation.

1) The participation and responsibility of local

communities are emphasized for sustainable

conservation. Conservation methods with expanded

participation of local residents are stressed.

2) Two out of the 10 criteria for inscription are

related to intangible heritage.

Criteria vi): “be directly or tangibly associated

with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with

beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding

universal significance.”

Criteria vii): “contain superlative natural

phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and

aesthetic importance.”

3) From 1992, ‘cultural landscape’ showing the

interaction between nature and culture was added as

a new category of cultural heritage. The definition of

cultural landscape was reflected in No. 47 of the

Operational Guidelines.

* Operational Guideline No 47: Cultural

landscapes are cultural properties and represent the

"combined works of nature and of man" designated in

Article 1 of the World Heritage Convention. They are

illustrative of the evolution of human society and

settlement over time, under the influence of the

physical constraints and/or opportunities presented

by their natural environment and of successive social,

economic and cultural forces, both external and

internal (...) The term 'cultural landscape embraces a

diversity of manifestations of the interaction between

humankind and its natural environment.'

4) Sacred mountains were chosen as a theme in

the Global Strategy, with a focus on regions with

significance in folk culture, religion, literature and the

arts, and in the ecological perspective.

Although the World Heritage Convention was

established to protect immovable heritages there has

been an increasing emphasis on the need to safeguard

the historical and cultural environments and

intangible value directly and indirectly related to

immovable heritage in order to realize sustainable and

effective protection. This integrated approach will be

further escalated as the international community

works to achieve the ‘2030 sustainable development

goals.

5.3 Intangible Cultural Heritage

Intangible heritage projects have an emphasis on

natural environments and history by nature. The text

of the 2003 Convention states that there is a deep-

seated interdependence between the intangible

cultural heritage and the tangible cultural and natural

heritage. Therefore, communities, in particular

indigenous communities, groups and, in some cases,

individuals, play an important role in the

safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage.

Intangible cultural heritage is deeply related to the

spaces in which intangible elements are created and

transmitted. The 2003 Convention defines the

physical spaces in which the intangible elements exist

as part of intangible heritage as well. Several cultural

spaces such as the cultural space of Boysun District,

Uzbekistan have been inscribed on the representative

list, although the number is relatively small compared

to other kinds of intangible heritage. There still needs

to be more research on the relationship between

intangible elements and spaces, protection methods

and roles of local residents.

It is very important to maintain an interest in

physical spaces viewed as sacred by communities and

groups. The cultural heritage protection policies of

Korea has long included cultural spaces by

designating 1) natural monuments of great value to

natural science and culture, 2) natural reserves for the

protection of natural monuments, and 3) national

scenic sites with outstanding natural and cultural

value. The Ministry of Environment and the Korea

National Park Service selected ecologically important

Awareness of the Intangible Value of Cultural Spaces

areas such as mountains and coastal regions for

focused management. Many of these areas overlap

with natural reserves designated by the Cultural

Heritage Administration.

When designating natural monuments, the value

of the monument in terms of scientific and cultural

value is considered. Evaluation is conducted in 5

areas, 1) religious cultural value 2) folk traditional

value 3) living cultural value 4) historical value and

5) uniqueness.

6 RECOMMENDATIONS

The UNESCO will continue to lead global efforts to

enhance the sustainability of the planet until 2030, as

part of the global agenda. One specific solution

towards this end is the integrated protection of

tangible and intangible heritage. The 2003

Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible

Cultural Heritage, which emphasizes the

inseparability of tangible, intangible and natural

heritage, will play an especially important role.

Deep reflection and sincere research regarding

cultural spaces and intangible heritage should be

conducted. Cultural spaces are where history and

culture comes together. First, areas with historical,

aesthetic, folk culture and religious value should be

identified. This should be followed by efforts such as

research, documentation and safeguarding of their

intangible value. To this end, specific measures such

as research on the available documents, creation of

networks between neighbouring countries and

information exchange should be carried out.

Asia and the Pacific region has long been a

melting pot of cultures. However, the importance of

intangible heritage has not well reflected in the

formation of cultural heritage policies. The World

Heritage project starts from a tangible perspective,

focused on the outstanding universal value of

physical heritage. There needs to be an intangible

approach, one that studies cultural spaces closely as a

living heritage. The role of community in the

safeguarding of heritage also differs in the tangible

and intangible approaches. Community is a very

important concept in the safeguarding of both

tangible and intangible heritage. In the case of

intangible heritage, communities are the actors that

carry out its transmission and enactment, allowing the

heritage to live on.

Preventative measures are in urgent need, before

further damage is inflicted upon the cultural value of

mountains, rivers, roads and forests. In the

establishment of the prediction model, three stages

are fundamental: possible selection of the variables,

the estimation of the coefficients of the variables

selected and the validation of the model. Ideally, this

validation should be done on different observations.

But in most practical situations, the selection of the

variables, the estimation of the coefficients and the

validation are done using the same sample. Indeed, it

is often difficult to have separate samples for the

various stages of modelling, because the dataset

available to the researcher is frequently too small to

use part of it to establish the regression model and the

remaining for its validation. Sometimes, the number

of predictors is higher than the number of

observations.

REFERENCES

Machat Christoph, Introduction, Heritage at Risk: World

Report 2014-2015, ICOMOS. 8-10.

Gottler Monika, Ripp Matthias, 2017, Community

Involvement in Heritage Management Guidebook, for

the OWHC Regional Secretariat Northwest Europe

and North America.

Neel Kamal Chapagain, 2015, Traditions, materiality and

community engagements with heritage, Revisiting

Kathmandu: Safeguarding Living Urban Heritage,

UNESCO Office in Kathmandu, 109-119.

UNESCO, 2003, Convention for the Safeguarding of the

Intangible Cultural Heritage.

UNESCO, 1972, World Heritage Convention.

CESIT 2020 - International Conference on Culture Heritage, Education, Sustainable Tourism, and Innovation Technologies