Abstract
Craft, traditional medicine, performances and other practices that are considered intangible cultural heritage (ICH) today have often been closely linked historically to markets for products and services. Gifts, sales and patronage have supported artists and performers for generations. Lack of sufficient remuneration for practitioners can lead to the disappearance of skills and knowledge associated with the ICH, or a narrowing of practitioners’ repertoire. At the same time, market pressures can have negative impacts on ICH practice, described as ‘over-commercialization’, ‘decontextualization’, ‘misappropriation’ or ‘misrepresentation’ under the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. How can practitioners and their communities benefit equitably from their ICH in the market while mitigating against these harms, and ensuring heritage safeguarding? In academic and policy debates, ICH safeguarding and sustainable economic development tend to be positioned as either fundamentally at odds, or perfectly compatible, while the dynamics of this relationship are poorly conceptualised. To untangle this ‘conceptual logjam’, this chapter suggests reconsidering concepts of authenticity, innovation and heritage repertoire, and plots a path to further conceptual debate.