The Economic Imperative of UNESCO Recognition: A South Korean Shamanic Ritual

This study examines a South Korean shamanic ritual to explore how UNESCO recognition complicates preexisting discourses concerning the interface of cultural and economic values in heritage making and heritage maintenance. Although UNESCO seldom discusses the economic issues associated with heritage status, financial factors are a key concern and a source of tension among local and national stakeholders when valorizing selected local culture for translocal use and recognition. Local perceptions and use of the global project are closely related to the goals and protocols of the 2003 ICH Convention.