I received this message through various intermediaries, but I think it is relevant to our preoccupations
As you may know, the Convention for the safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and its Operational Directives recommend the involvement of ICH experts in the implementation of the Convention. An ICH researcher forum is being set up by researchers to facilitate and discuss the role of researchers in relation to the Convention.
A first meeting is scheduled for 3 June 2012 at la Maison des Cultures du Monde (101 Boulevard Raspail, 75006 Paris, France). No funds are available to subsidise attendance at the meeting, unfortunately, but it is just before the General Assembly of the Convention and the Critical Heritage Studies Association meeting in Sweden so the timing might suit you.
The website for the meeting is http://www.ichresearchers-forum.org/ and if you have any queries about it please contact Toshiyuki Kono on ich.researchers.forum@gmail.com.
The closing session of the meeting will be 'How to identify priority areas for research'. There will be time for debate at the meeting but not all interested researchers will be able to attend, and we'd like to encourage the broadest possible discussion about key areas of existing and future research. Many people will not be able to attend personally but even if you are coming, sending us your thoughts in advance can also help to focus and streamline the debate on the day.
Whether or not you are attending the meeting, if you'd like to send ideas or references to existing work in advance of the meeting please email us as follows:
(a) Key publications, reports, articles, books on the principles, history and implementation of the Convention (in any language) that could form the basis of a working bibliography for the Forum. These references (with an abstract if possible) can be sent to Harriet Deacon (harriet@conjunction.co.za)
(b) Key areas of research that should be prioritized in the future to understand and/or assist in the implementation of the Convention. These suggestions can be sent to Chiara Bortolotto
All inputs will be acknowledged.
Best wishes and thanks
Harriet Deacon and Chiara Bortolotto
