Document généré le 24 sept. 2021 10:10 Material Culture Review Intangible Cultural Heritage Revitalization for Development and Tourism The Case of Purulia Chhau Dance Stefania Cardinale Volume 82-83, 2015–2016 Résumé de l'article Lorsque le patrimoine immatériel intègre les marchés et le niveau international, URI : https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/mcr82_83art04 il se produit des problèmes d’interprétation des patrimoines locaux. À partir d’une étude de cas, cet article présente l’histoire des praticiens de la danse Chhau Aller au sommaire du numéro et leur relation à la modernisation dans le cadre du projet Art pour vivre [Art for livelihood] en Inde. Cet article met en évidence les opinions des acteurs dans le cours de ce projet qui aboutit à faire coexister différentes « identités » du Éditeur(s) patrimoine Chhau pour des audiences différentes – locale, internationale et liste de l’UNESCO. La théorie de l’acteur-réseau confère son armature à cette étude de Cape Breton University Press cas qui permet d’analyser de façon critique la compréhension des points de vue des acteurs et du déséquilibre des relations. ISSN 1718-1259 (imprimé) 0000-0000 (numérique) Découvrir la revue Citer cet article Cardinale, S. (2015). Intangible Cultural Heritage Revitalization for Development and Tourism: The Case of Purulia Chhau Dance. Material Culture Review, 82-83, 43–56. All rights reserved © Cape Breton University Press, 2017 Ce document est protégé par la loi sur le droit d’auteur. L’utilisation des services d’Érudit (y compris la reproduction) est assujettie à sa politique d’utilisation que vous pouvez consulter en ligne. https://apropos.erudit.org/fr/usagers/politique-dutilisation/ Cet article est diffusé et préservé par Érudit. Érudit est un consortium interuniversitaire sans but lucratif composé de l’Université de Montréal, l’Université Laval et l’Université du Québec à Montréal. Il a pour mission la promotion et la valorisation de la recherche. https://www.erudit.org/fr/ STEFANIA CARDINALE Intangible Cultural Heritage Revitalization for Development and Tourism: The Case of Purulia Chhau Dance Résumé Abstract: Lorsque le patrimoine immatériel intègre les marchés UNESCO’s recent Conventions (2003 and 2005) take et le niveau international, il se produit des problèmes intangible heritage’s potential into account through d’interprétation des patrimoines locaux. À partir integrating cultural expressions, practices and d’une étude de cas, cet article présente l’histoire traditions into development frameworks. However, des praticiens de la danse Chhau et leur relation à how this integration should happen in the realm of la modernisation dans le cadre du projet Art pour the practice and what impacts would result from it is vivre [Art for livelihood] en Inde. Cet article met en crucial in defining also the safeguarding of intangible évidence les opinions des acteurs dans le cours de heritage. This article will investigate how the ce projet qui aboutit à faire coexister différentes « intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of Chhau dance of identités » du patrimoine Chhau pour des audiences Purulia India, was accommodated in a development différentes – locale, internationale et liste de project. A critical examination of actors involved l’UNESCO. La théorie de l’acteur-réseau confère son and actions of the project, through an actor-network armature à cette étude de cas qui permet d’analyser perspective, will discuss what this meant in relation de façon critique la compréhension des points de vue to the heritage. The article highlights that the actions des acteurs et du déséquilibre des relations. of integrating intangible heritage into a development project framework translated into the revitalisation of the cultural element, considered an outdated cultural product in need of modernisation. To what extent has the traditional form of art changed in line with project and development expectations? In recent years, culture has become a promising The shift from economic-based development sector in which governments and international to culture-focused development can be traced institutions invest in order that such develop- to UNESCO’s vision of the potential for the ment can be sustained. A target date of 2015 for development of culture found within the first achieving anti-poverty objectives known as the Convention for the Protection and Promotion of millennium development goals (MDGs) saw the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005) and member states of United Nations (UN) working the previous (2003) Convention on Intangible with member governments to integrate culture Cultural Heritage1. Particularly the latter marked into their agenda. However, the MDGs failed to the role of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in take into account the role of politics in culture and people’s lives: new post-2015 MDGs sustainable development intangible cultural heritage, transmit- goals (SDGs) still have not explicitly included ted from generation to generation, is culture (De Beukelaer 2015). Finally, culture has constantly recreated by communities and formally entered the development debate through groups in response to their environment, the UNESCO Conventions (cf. UNESCO 2005). their interaction with nature and their history, and provides them with a sense Revue de la culture matérielle 82-83 (automne 2015/printemps 2016) 43 of identity and continuity, thus promoting initiated by a social enterprise3 from West Bengal respect for cultural diversity and human which, since 2004, began working in this area, creativity. (Art. 2, 2003 Convention) with different projects of social and economic Until this 2003 Convention, the international development. Later, in 2010, the biennial AL community of member states within the UN had project—financed by European Commission not perceived culture as holistic and that the in- and supported by UNESCO Delhi—aimed to struments of protecting culture, such as the World enhance the livelihood status of 3,200 folk artists Heritage Convention (1972), were mainly related from rural West Bengal while revitalizing and to tangible cultural expressions. Since then, not promoting their endangered ICH. The folkloric only ICH was institutionally judged to deserve arts involved in the project were: patachitra, sing- equal attention as monuments or sites, but in ing stories painted on scrolls; baul and fakiri, Sufi several ways ICH gained momentum not only in music of Bengal; jhumur, tribal lifestyle music the work of UNESCO, but also within World and dance; chhau, a combination of martial Tourism Organisation (WTO) and European arts, masked dance and theatre; gambhira and Commission’s2 investments for cooperation and domni, folk theatre forms. This paper reports on development (Jeretic, 2014; De Beukelaer 2015). the case of Purulia chhau dancers under the AL From October 28 to December 10, 2013, project and on how a successful international UNESCO hosted an open exhibition at their cooperation project directed toward development headquarters in Paris to commemorate the and creative livelihoods for tourism translated ten-year anniversary of the 2003 Convention. into a revitalization and modernization of the This exhibition featured examples of ICH from cultural element. Actor-network theory is used Brazil, Egypt, Estonia, Kenya, Samoa, and Spain, as analytical lens to analyze the development and illustrating the contribution of intangible heritage subsequent translation of the intangible heritage to sustainable development. The UNESCO media of chhau in the project network. service reported that communities employed ICH The ethnographic fieldwork I conducted not only as a factor in tourism but also “to tackle for this paper looked at the project at the com- everything from food scarcity and environmental munity level. This case study will highlight the change to health problems, education or conflict extent to which “actors” in the project network prevention and resolution” (UNESCO 2012). accommodated their diversity of knowledge The Art and Livelihood (AL) project imple- and roles to suit trends of the project and to the mented in India was a pilot project born in this culture-for-development model of the project. In framework of culture for development and it this project, “actors”—in Actor-Network Theory was financed by European Commission. The (Latour 2005; Law 1997; Callon 1986) may refer project attempted to develop creative livelihoods to people or objects—are chhau artists, UNESCO, from folk arts of rural West Bengal (India), to the social enterprise leading the project, research- boost tourism processes and socioeconomic ers, documents, masks, instruments, costumes development. This mechanism foresaw that the and the stage, where dancers perform, to mention accumulation of benefits among stakeholders just a few. I will present how they entered the created the condition for tradition bearers to AL project network and worked for project aims sustain their family, perpetuate their folk art as with shared or opposing visions. As I will show, well as to invest funds in the village. some negotiation of certain traits of the intangible The development project prospective was heritage of chhau dance was unavoidable, and also thought of as a safeguarding measure for occurred in the name of a revitalization for a more intangible heritages endangered by the poor “marketable” heritage. Actors all came to the living condition of their bearers. In fact, in the project driven by different interests (popularity, area of the project, six districts of