Intangible Cultural Heritage Webs

Authors: M. Severo, T. Venturini. 

Title: Intangible Cultural Heritage Webs. Comparing national networks with digital methods.

New Media & Society (forthcoming) (Download pre-print). 

The 2003 UNESCO Convention for the safeguard of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is addressed to the States and assigns them several tasks. However, no State can accomplish all these tasks without mobilizing a wide network of institutions, associations, and individuals. The national ICH policies intersect, overlap, and often transform the existing relationships among these actors. This study aims at comparing several national networks (France, Italy, and Switzerland) involved in the implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention to highlight national trends and specificities. The analysis has employed an innovative methodology based on digital methods and is aimed at exploring the landscapes of websites dedicated to the intangible heritage. By analyzing the hyperlinking strategies of ICH actors, we have identified the specific web topology of each nation, showing which actors are central and peripheral, whether clusters or cliques are formed, and who plays the roles of authority and hub.

Figure 1. Heatmap of the Italian network of the ICH websites (colored by dimension)
Figure 2. Heatmap of the Italian network of the ICH websites (colored by type)

Figure 3. Heatmap of the French network of the ICH websites (colored by dimension)
Figure 4. Heatmap of the French network of the ICH websites (colored by type)

Figure 5. Heatmap of the Swiss network of the ICH websites (colored by dimension)
Figure 6. Heatmap of the Swiss network of the ICH websites (colored by type)