School of Creative
Industries
Ng Hui Shian, Naomi
Naomi is an aspiring arts manager with a profound interest in heritage, placemaking and museums. Over the past six years in the arts management industry, she has acquired valuable skills in research, arts education, events and project management as well as outreach through a variety of projects and internships. Equipped with zeal for culture and the community, she strongly believes in using the arts as a vehicle for the promotion of cultural identity.
Thesis abstract
Safeguarding the intangible: examining the governance of intangible cultural heritage in the Singaporean context
As Singapore progresses economically and sociopolitically, there has been greater accountability in protecting the living aspects of the nation’s heritage. This has prompted the government to recognise how Singapore’s unique intangible cultural heritage (ICH) contributes to its global position as a city of distinctive ethnic and cultural diversity. Thus, a more concerted effort has been made to develop legislative measures aimed at managing ICH and the transmission of such heritage to the Singaporean community. Especially with the country’s recent ratification of UNESCO's 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the inscription of Hawker Culture to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, it has become pertinent to examine the governance strategies that have been executed in the bid to safeguard Singapore's ICH for future generations.
With respect to ICH, one might wonder how it is possible for legislation to adequately provide appropriate safeguarding provisions for a form of heritage that is continuously recreating itself without altering its authenticity. Hence, this research aims to identify and analyse Singapore’s ICH safeguarding framework through an analysis of literature, policies and plans. These plans were referenced against the recommended Operational Directives by UNESCO to discern the effects and ramifications of said strategies on Singapore’s living traditions. Ultimately, this paper hopes to provide insights and recommendations into the national and overarching policy towards safeguarding ICH.