Intangible heritage and museums

As a result of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which was ratified by the Netherlands in 2012, various actors such as government institutions, “heritage professionals”, heritage bearers, and museums, interfere in the preservation of everyday culture. They form an (emotional) network that is determined by meaningful power relationships. In the study, attention will be given to the sphere of influence that this network has to answer questions about heritagization processes. These processes are closely connected to questions surrounding collective identities, where claims are often made to “national solidarity”. The research pays particular attention to the role of museums and heritage bearers as well as their mutual relationships and negotiations in the creation of heritage. A relevant question for this line of research is how the cohesiveness and differences between tangible and intangible heritage are handled.