The Use of Tradition in the National Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Serbia

Abstract

This paper examines the use of the concepts of tradition and intangible cultural heritage within the National Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Serbia, with particular attention to patterns of selection and representation. Based on L. Smith, E. Hobsbawm, S. Naumović, M. Milenković and J. Ćuković theoretical insights, the paper approaches cultural heritage as a social construct, and as an instrument of cultural and identity politics. Thematic analysis was conducted on thirty elements from the Register, based on three parameters: locality (village/town); mode of cultural transmission with a focus on the gender component, and religious-mythical component. The analysis reveals the dominance of rural, male, and ethnoreligious patterns in the representation of cultural heritage, indicating the stabilization of a particular model of national identity through institutional selection. It is shown that the institutional framework does not reflect the diversity of cultural expressions, and often marginalizes urban, female and secular practices. The paper emphasizes the need to broaden the concept of cultural heritage as a space in which diverse voices can be recognized and equally participate in shaping official cultural memory. The aim of this paper is not to reject tradition, but to reflect the conditions under which it acquires public and institutional value.