Disseminating the Policy Narrative of ‘Heritage under Threat’ in China

Maags, Christina

Abstract

Originating from within the UNESCO, narratives on ‘heritage under threat’ tell the story of how and why intangible cultural heritage (ICH) practices are valuable, why are they disappearing, and how they can be protected from destruction. Focusing on PR China, this paper conducts a frame analysis to identify narratives on ‘heritage under threat’ as employed by the UNESCO, the Chinese party-state, and academics. The study argues that while policy narratives in any country undergo a process of congruence-building, circulation, and implementation, these processes take distinctive forms in authoritarian countries due to the states’ discursive and political monopoly: While non-state actors are involved, the state primarily steers the appropriation process. Nevertheless, once established, the policy narrative transforms across time and space, enabling local actors to use it to pursue their own interests.

Citation

Maags, C. (2020). Disseminating the Policy Narrative of ‘Heritage under Threat’ in China. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 26(3), 273-290. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2018.1500559

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 3, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jul 24, 2018
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2020
• Deposit Date: Aug 29, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 29, 2018
• Journal: International Journal of Cultural Policy
• Print ISSN: 1028-6632
• Electronic ISSN: 1477-2833
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 273-290
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2018.1500559
• Keywords: Narratives, policy, intangible cultural heritage (ICH), UNESCO, China
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10286632.2018.1500559