IN-PERSON: Prague – Section A
Abstract
Globalization has a profound effect on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). One of its domains, as defined by the UNESCO 2003 Convention, is oral traditions and expressions. Globalization plays a pivotal role in weakening spoken and written languages. This paper is considering the crucial role of language in the transmission of ICH from generation to generation, particularly in its relation to traditional practices. Specific language is essential as the medium of communication among bearers and practitioners in Iran. The loss of terms related to ICH practices, such as, for example, Zobeydeh Asadzadeh who was the last bearer of the old folk music associated with the nationally-significant ritual of “Zardeh Beh Dar”. The oral tradition and ritual are related to harvesting wheat and eliminating pests. The women of the village wear yellow clothes, recite Zarde Zarde poems and rejoice around an infested wheat field. Zobeydeh was the only person in her day to have learned every folk song and custom related to this ritual directly from her predecessors in the Eastern part of Iran (South Khorasan Province) and to perform them. Zobeydeh was a rara avis of the times but remained obscure. Other oral traditions will also be discussed in this paper. The loss of knowledge of words and idea commonly used in heritage practices has destructive effects on efforts to safeguard traditional practices. This points to the need to safeguard linguistic diversities and understand language as a vehicle of ICH and the transmission of knowledge such as folk songs for the future.
Nahal Haghdoust received her bachelor’s in Architecture and master’s in Art research. She worked at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of IRAN as a researcher in the field of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Hence, she has published articles and papers in various newspapers and art magazines. Her article titled “Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (Two Case Studies in Iran)” was published at Amps Conference 2022 at Canterbury. Now she is a Ph.D. student at the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University under the supervision of Professor Jan Marontate.
Jan Marontate, Hon. B.A. (Sociology and Urban Studies, York U.), M.Sc. (Demography, U. Montréal) and Ph.D. (U. Montréal) taught sociology and held a Canada Research Chair in Technology and Culture at Acadia University in Nova Scotia (1998-2006). She was a pre-doctoral research fellow at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. and a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre de Sociologie de l’innovation, l’école des Mines, Paris. Her current research projects focus on arts networks, cultural heritage institutions, collective memory, and changing forms of creative work. She has served on the board of arts research groups in l’association Internationale de Sociologues de Langue française (GR18), the International Sociological Association (RC37), and is a member of the International Advisory Board of Cultural Sociology. Now she is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University.
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Thursday 29th June, 2023