The Sustainability of Intangible Heritage in the COVID-19 Era—Resilience, Reinvention, and Challenges in Spain

Xavier Roigé, Iñaki Arrieta-Urtizberea and Joan Seguí
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Xavier Roigé: Departament d’Antropologia Social, Facultat de Geografia I Història, Universitat de Barcelona, Montealegre, 6, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
Iñaki Arrieta-Urtizberea: Hezkuntza, Filosofía eta Antropología Fakultatea, Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herritko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Tolosa Hiribidea, 70, 20018 Donostia, Spain
Joan Seguí: Museu Valencià d’Etnologia, Carrer de la Corona, 36, 46003 València, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-25

Abstract: The public health restrictions and social distancing imposed as a consequence of COVID-19 have not only had a profound impact on intangible heritage, they have also prompted resilience, reinvention, and creativity. This analysis of the period provides an insight into the social significance of intangible heritage and its adaptability and ability to evolve, while also raising questions about its sustainability. This article tackles the impact of lockdown and public health restrictions on the festivals included in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Heritage in Spain. Employing qualitative and ethnographic methodology, the study analyzes the effects of restrictions on the 18 elements on the UNESCO list and the responses adopted; it also includes case studies on three elements. The article concludes that in the post-COVID-19 period, it will be necessary to rethink the economic and social sustainability of intangible heritage practices and to discover new ways of managing them. It will also be necessary to go back to more local formats that are less crowded and less dependent on tourism. The pandemic has exposed the fragility of intangible heritage, and it is now time to rethink the perhaps excessive growth it has experienced in recent years.

Keywords: intangible heritage; effects of COVID-19; festivals; intangible heritage Spain; ICH sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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