This chapter explores how intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is defined, experienced, and safeguarded within Liverpool's diverse communities, spanning those with long-established roots in the city, newer arrivals from across the globe, and regional networks, examining the ways in which heritage shapes identity, belonging, and everyday life. Drawing on two focus group discussions, it investigates how different communities prioritise and engage with ICH, while also highlighting the challenges of safeguarding traditions across generations. A key concern that emerges is the struggle of parents to pass down cultural traditions, as younger generations often reinterpret or disengage from heritage practices, whether in daily routines or significant ceremonies. The chapter examines the delicate balance between continuance of their ICH and adapting to new social and cultural landscapes, reflecting on how ICH evolves in response to changing identities and shifting engagement. The findings reaffirm key debates in the literature while offering an updated perspective on the realities of diverse ethnic communities in Liverpool. The discussions also underscore the need for simpler, more accessible terminology in ICH policy, greater awareness within communities of what the term ICH means, a more structured approach to safeguarding heritage, and, most importantly, the importance of listening to communities to better understand the challenges they face. Ultimately, this chapter argues for a nuanced, inclusive understanding of ICH as a dynamic, adaptive process that reflects the complexity of diasporic and local life in Liverpool, and across the UK.

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Living Heritage: Migrant and Local Perspectives on Identity and Change in the UK

  • Ataa Alsalloum

摘要

This chapter explores how intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is defined, experienced, and safeguarded within Liverpool's diverse communities, spanning those with long-established roots in the city, newer arrivals from across the globe, and regional networks, examining the ways in which heritage shapes identity, belonging, and everyday life. Drawing on two focus group discussions, it investigates how different communities prioritise and engage with ICH, while also highlighting the challenges of safeguarding traditions across generations. A key concern that emerges is the struggle of parents to pass down cultural traditions, as younger generations often reinterpret or disengage from heritage practices, whether in daily routines or significant ceremonies. The chapter examines the delicate balance between continuance of their ICH and adapting to new social and cultural landscapes, reflecting on how ICH evolves in response to changing identities and shifting engagement. The findings reaffirm key debates in the literature while offering an updated perspective on the realities of diverse ethnic communities in Liverpool. The discussions also underscore the need for simpler, more accessible terminology in ICH policy, greater awareness within communities of what the term ICH means, a more structured approach to safeguarding heritage, and, most importantly, the importance of listening to communities to better understand the challenges they face. Ultimately, this chapter argues for a nuanced, inclusive understanding of ICH as a dynamic, adaptive process that reflects the complexity of diasporic and local life in Liverpool, and across the UK.