Wang, Linjie; (2024) Governing the 'heart and soul': Baiku Yao ethnic minority Intangible Cultural Heritage in Southwest China. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This thesis examines how Intangible Cultural Heritage （ICH） operates as an assemblage and government apparatus in ethnic minority rural villages in southwest China. It explores how these mechanisms produce forms of difference that facilitate specific practices of state and non-state social governance, and how cultural heritage practices are intertwined with individual and collective identities. Through ethnographic research, which involved 18 months of participant observation while residing in Baiku Yao communities, I collected first-hand data regarding power dynamics among various stakeholders involved in the transformation of Baiku Yao traditional culture into ICH. Challenging the dichotomy of top-down and bottom-up perspectives, this thesis employs four empirical chapters to illustrate how Baiku Yao individuals and communities strategically and actively participate in state-led ICH management and practices. These chapters encompass the reconstruction processes of a Baiku Yao national-level ICH project, the Bronze-drum Dance; Baiku Yao eco-museum practices; the making of Baiku Yao village film documentaries; and digital ICH production on social media platforms. By doing so, this dissertation critically examines the Chinese ICH system and its ontological and governmental implications within global, national, regional, and local heritage contexts.

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