Reflections on the Connection between Cultural Memory and Female Subjectivity Carried by Intangible Cultural Heritage

Abstract

Intangible cultural heritage is a living inheritance of the people's lives and customs that links the past with the present. In this life system, women have traditionally served as the main, but often unrecognized, bearers of oral culture, textile skills and family traditions. This paper investigates the deep connection between cultural memory and female subjectivity in intangible cultural heritage. Given the theoretical convergence of collective memory studies and feminist discourse, this paper will investigate how traditional crafts and embodied practices serve as necessary paths for women's liberation and identity formation. Women have been marginalised by patriarchal and monument-oriented societies historically, but in recent years, they have used intangible cultural heritage for economic reasons and also as a way to express their own ideas and revise historical narratives. At present, around the world, these practices have been revived and now serve as cultural symbols by female artisans. The study shows that the protection of intangible cultural heritage is closely related to promoting gender equality, and therefore, women's subjectivity should be taken into account in all parts of the discussion on global heritage protection.