Creating a Race to the Top: Hierarchies and Competition within the Chinese ICH Transmitters System

Maags, Christina

Abstract

The chapter retraces the impact of the two main intangible heritage policies (ICH) on individuals and communities in the cities of Jiujiang and Changzhou. Although ICH policies are aimed at supporting local cultural work, the chapter shows how local policy implementation facilitates division and hierarchies among local stakeholders, particularly as inscription often depends on good connections to heritage experts and officials. In the competition for inscription, local stakeholders often employ official heritage discourses and heritage expertise to enhance their agency and obtain legitimacy in the heritage-making process, enhancing contestation and conflicts between members within and between local communities.

Citation

Maags, C. (2018). Creating a Race to the Top: Hierarchies and Competition within the Chinese ICH Transmitters System. In C. Maags, & M. Svensson (Eds.), Chinese Cultural Heritage in the Making: Experiences, Negotiations and Contestations (121-144). Amsterdam University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt2204rz8.8

• Acceptance Date: Oct 29, 2017
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Jun 11, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 11, 2019
• Pages: 121-144
• Series Title: Asian Heritages
• Book Title: Chinese Cultural Heritage in the Making: Experiences, Negotiations and Contestations
• ISBN: 9789048534067
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt2204rz8.8
• Keywords: intangible cultural heritage, transmitters, policy, discourses,; contestation