Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage? A critical perspective on the Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Catalonia

In this paper we aim to make a critical review of the concept of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) as defined by UNESCO, especially with respect to aspects related to research. In the first part we will deal with various theoretical issues, reviewing the notion of intangible heritage and its political implications, highlighting difficulties in how to define it. In the second part we will dela with these problems from a methodological perspective, based on some inventories made following the recommendations of the Convention. In the third part we will present a case study based on the implementation of an ICH inventory, promoted by UNESCOCAT in the Montseny Natural Park in Catalonia, North-East Spain.(Abstract extracted from the article).