Society. Spaces. Screens

Abstract

The research investigates the imperatives of safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of Rumsu village in Himachal Pradesh amidst accelerating socio-economic transformations. Located in the cultural landscape of Naggar, Rumsu exemplifies a repository of indigenous knowledge systems manifested through traditional agricultural practices, pastoral activities, vernacular craftsmanship, and communal traditions that have sustained its ecological and social fabric for generations. However, the paradigm shift in the agrarian practices and burgeoning tourism enterprises threatens to disrupt these time-honored practices and their associated cultural expressions. Through ethnographic fieldwork, semi-structured interviews, and phenomenological analysis, this study documents the nuanced dimensions of Rumsu’s living heritage while examining the dialectical relationship between preservation and development. The research further proposes a framework for cultural conservation that integrates traditional ecological knowledge with contemporary sustainable practices, ensuring the continuity of Rumsu’s cultural legacy while acknowledging the inevitability of change. This framework acknowledges the dynamic nature of cultural evolution while advocating for the preservation of core cultural elements that define community identity and ecological resilience. The study contributes to the theoretical discourse on heritage conservation by offering empirically grounded insights into sustainable approaches that reconcile cultural preservation with community aspirations in rapidly transforming rural landscapes.