In the period 2021-2024, the Knowledge Center will investigate seven main themes in the field of diversity and inclusion together with heritage communities and various academic partners.
1 YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF YOUR HERITAGE
Many heritage communities are looking for young people to join the board. How do heritage communities that have succeeded do this? With this research, the Knowledge Center for Heritage Communities wants to offer a practical guide to involve young people in governance.
2 INVOLVING NEW TARGET GROUPS IN YOUR HERITAGE
Because new growth is crucial for keeping intangible heritage alive, we investigate what experiences heritage communities, groups and individuals have with involving new target groups. How can you recruit new target groups? What opportunities does this offer? And, what should you take into account when you involve new target groups?
3 WORKING MORE INCLUDE AS A KNOWLEDGE CENTER
Although everyone in the Netherlands can register intangible heritage, a bottom-up procedure does not guarantee that the Knowledge Center will reach everyone. Why do some communities know where to find us and others don't? What obstacles are there for heritage communities to sign up?
4 YOUTH AND IDENTITY
The Knowledge Center sees a trend among young people who have different cultural roots than the dominant culture in which they grow up: these young people experience and practice the immaterial heritage of their (ancestors) parents more actively than their parents. How does such a process work? Do the young people see themselves as a heritage community and how do they safeguard the heritage? Are they experiencing challenges? How could the Knowledge Center play a role in safeguarding heritage?
5 INTANGIBLE HERITAGE AND THE COLONIAL PAST
In six heritage communities known to the Knowledge Center, the slavery past plays a role in the practice of heritage. Together with these communities and NiNsee, we explore how this past lives within the contemporary practice of heritage. What safeguarding challenges are there for these communities?
6 INTANGIBLE HERITAGE AND GENDER ROLES
Various heritage communities have made adjustments in recent years in the inclusiveness of heritage practice. And some forms of intangible heritage are exclusive to women or men. With an exploratory study, we want to make the state of affairs in the field of gender inclusion visible and identify the challenges.
7 INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Heritage communities often work together and in some cases also with communities in other countries. Within this research theme we are conducting a number of exploratory studies to see what this means for safeguarding heritage and what role the Knowledge Center could play in this.
WHO DO WE WORK WITH?
We always work directly or indirectly with heritage communities in our research. We will also be working with various other partners within the theme of 'Intangible heritage & diversity' in the coming years. This cooperation varies from exchanging knowledge and networking to jointly researching specific themes or organizing meetings.
We work together with various educational institutions such as the Reinwardt Academy and Radboud University Nijmegen. For example, a think tank of third-year bachelor's students was set up this year in collaboration with Radboud University to explore which intangible heritage practitioners in the Netherlands have contact with communities in the Mediterranean area.
The Dutch UNESCO Commission, the National Knowledge Institute for Cultural Education and Amateur Art (LKCA) and Imagine IC are our partners in the field of young people's participation in heritage.
The National Institute of Dutch Slavery Past and Heritage (NiNsee) is our partner for the exploration of intangible heritage and the slavery past. Since 2003, NiNsee has been the knowledge center that collects, manages and develops knowledge about the history of the transatlantic slavery past and the colonial past and is therefore the appropriate organization to explore together how the slavery past is still current in the practice of intangible heritage. At the same time, NiNsee is also connected to the Knowledge Center as a heritage community through the registration of Keti Koti.
Read more about this research area in the Knowledge Agenda 2021-2024 .