Abstract

LACERDA, Rodrigo. Participation and intangible cultural heritage: a case study of “Tava, place of reference for the Guarani people”. Comunicação e Sociedade [online]. 2019, vol.36, pp.143-162. ISSN 1645-2089.  https://doi.org/10.17231/comsoc.36(2019).2349.

The category of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), recently institutionalized by several countries (2000, in the case of Brazil) and, internationally, by Unesco (2003), requires the participation of groups and communities in the identification, safeguarding and maintenance of their heritage. Due to the recent nature of these policies, there is still only a small number of studies examining the levels and strategies of participation used in determining ICH. More recently, Rodney Harrison (2013) argued that is important to study not only the participation of humans in heritage processes, but also, especially in indigenous contexts, the participation of nonhumans. In order to contribute to these discussions, the article describes and analyzes the patrimonialization of the ruins of the São Miguel Jesuit-Guarani Missions, located in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, as “Tava, Place of Reference for the Guarani People”. The process lasted a decade and initially encountered some resistance from the Guarani. However, the establishment of reciprocity and affinity relations between indigenous and non-indigenous agents, the recognition of ICH's political potential and the influence of spiritual aspects, including nonhumans, promoted the participation of the Guarani, who proved to be essential actors for the identification and registration of the cultural landmark in 2014.

Keywords : Brazil; dialogical heritage; Guarani; intangible cultural heritage; participation.

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