Do Heritage: Anthropological Reflection Of The Intangible Cultural Heritage

Taking "making heritage" as research object and based on the intangible cultural heritage protection of Chinese ethnic minorities in practice, this thesis integrates the author's anthropological fieldwork experience, applies the methods of participant observation and interview, and employs the perspectives of postmodernism, anthropology, new museology, etc., to disenchant the witchcraft displayed by culture and each social class in the process of "making heritage", to reflect the intangible heritage protection of ethnic minorities in contemporary China, and to seek the feasibility of sustainable development of ethnic minority intangible cultural heritage.This thesis is composed by six chapters. Chapter One "Introduction" includes the origin of this thesis, study intent, literature review and research method; Chapter Two "The Presence of State in Intangible Cultural Heritage of Chinese Ethnic Minorities" details the Chinese "internal Orientalism" thought since ancient times and how intangible cultural heritage of ethnic minorities has accomplished its identity transformation from the "cultural carriers" to the "cosset" in the modern heritage movement. Meanwhile, the author also discusses some problems involved in the intangible cultural heritage protection of ethnic minorities in this chapter. Chapter Three "Heritage Protection under Tripartite Discourse Power" explains the interaction among "universal standard","national narration" and local construction, as well as the two processes of the intangible cultural heritage protection of ethnic minorities against this background. Chapter Four "Models of Making Heritage" summarizes the five modes of contemporary heritage operation, including "culture setting up a stage, economy putting on a show","presupposition type" protection, the invention of heritage, heritage representation, and the museum model of heritage protection. Chapter Five "Anthropological Reflection on Making Heritage" rethinks heritage protection from its "absence of local participation" and museumification aspects.And Chapter Six is the "Conclusion".The main point of this thesis is that, as a significant form of contemporary heritage practice,"making heritage" is no longer a pure heritage protection process, but a "secondary heritage process". During this process, heritage constituted by policy, development and identity, is considered as basic resources to emphasize and develop cultural identity. And different groups get involved into the process to different degrees, play their own active roles, and give intangible cultural heritage protection more maneuverability. Diversified "making heritage" operational modes, on one hand, play an important role in heritage protection and inheritance, and on the other hand, bring out a series of problems such as symbolization and fragmentation, as well as over industrialization of heritage. How to resolve these phenomena and problems arising in the process of "making heritage" and to make the intangible cultural heritage protection of ethnic minorities more scientific and normative are the issues needed to be further discussed.