Ned Kaufman
Intangible Cultural Heritage: Identifying and Protecting the Intangible Dimensions of Buildings, Sites and Places
In 2005, Dr. Kaufman received a Fitch Mid-Career grant. Kaufman will be traveling to Dublin, Ireland for ICOMOS meetings on international practices of conserving intangible heritage. He will lead working groups at the conference and plans to gather information on best practices in this relatively new facet of heritage protection from around the world. His ultimate goal is to develop a best practices model and guide for United States practitioners.
Like the family ritual practiced by these Otomí Indians in the Tolimán region of Mexico, intangible heritage is often linked to particular places. It gives meaning to those places yet, like this ritual, may be difficult for outsiders to recognize. Late last year, the Tolimán region was inscribed under the UNESCO Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. (Credit: Ned Kaufman, 2010)