Learning objectives

The approval of the UNESCO Convention on intangible cultural heritage (2003) has led to a broadening of the understanding of cultural heritage. The primary objective of the course is to bring an anthropological perspective to aspects of the material and intangible heritage of communities and their contexts. Through various teaching methods (lectures, discussions, meetings with experts), that favor the seminar-type approach, the course aims to bring students to a critical understanding of some of the themes and concepts of the discipline so as to approach with a relativistic gaze the different practices and productions of human societies and reflect on how historically the ‘others’ were built and narrated (first part) and how these representations have influenced – and continue to do so – the perception of their material and intangible heritage inside and outside museums (monographic part). Students are expected to actively participate in class discussions and to engage in a personal research project. At the end of the course the student is expected to: 1. have acquired knowledge of the categories and language used in anthropology to investigate patrimonial processes related to tangible and intangible assets; 2. be capable of making use of the acquired tools to critically approach such processes.