DEFINITIONS AND GLOSSARIES FOR UNESCO’S 2003 CONVENTION FOR THE SAFEGUARDING OF THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE
DEFINITIONS AND GLOSSARIES FOR UNESCO’S 2003 CONVENTION FOR THE SAFEGUARDING OF THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE

Summary/Abstract: The 2003 Convention provides just three definitions, its Operational Directives (OD) include hardly any explicit definition and there is no authoritative list of definitions for Convention-related terms. Nevertheless, “intangible cultural heritage” (ICH) and – earlier on – “folklore” and related terms were extensively discussed at UNESCO for decades. Moreover, between 2001 and 2003, to assist the drafters of the Convention and – after 2006 – to serve implementing states’ parties and the Secretariat of the Convention, as many as six glossaries were prepared. All were concise, some were influential; none of them acquired official status. UNESCO’s sister heritage conventions enjoy higher levels of definition. The underdefined status of the Convention is not only an asset. An overview of the terms that are taken into account in the six glossaries is presented in an appendix.

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