Working Group

Intangible Heritage

Chairs

• Lieselot Cornelis, lieselot@etwie.be
• Joanna Ślaga, joanna.slaga@uj.edu.pl

Workshop at Universeum Conference 2026 in Coimbra

Mapping traditions and living heritage of universities

In the first official session of the Working Group Intangible Heritage, we want to map intangible cultural heritage in universities, share inspiration and experiences and explore how we can inventorise traditions, practices, crafts and rituals.

We explore how traditions, practices, crafts, techniques and rituals are intertwined with objects and collections, and how they can be documented, interpreted, transmitted and safeguarded as living processes.

After an introductory presentation on intangible heritage and UNESCO, we will work in small groups work on mapping and identifying examples from our own institutions. We will reflect on questions like

• Who are the bearers of these practices
• What do those practices mean for the university and the students, professors and other people involved with the university
• What material traces do they leave behind? How are these represented in heritage collections and university museums?
• What role can museums and heritage collections play in safeguarding them?

The session will combine reflection, peer exchange and a mapping framework.

Organisers: Lieselot Cornelis and Joanna Ślaga

See also Conference Website

About

Intangible cultural heritage is everywhere: the fair, avalanche risk management, alpinism, falconry, processions, dry stone walling, lace making, sign language, woodturning etc. ICH means the practices, expressions, knowledge and skills that communities, groups and sometimes individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. These practices and know-how are transmitted from generation to generation within communities, are created and transformed continuously by them, depending on the environment and their interaction with nature and history.

Which intangible heritage is there to be found in a university? What can we do with it? How can we contribute to safeguarding ICH? Which tools and projects can we use as best practices? Think about traditions such as the culture of student associations, ritual processions at the start of the academic year, scientific glassblowing, preparing microscopic slides and so on.

The working group Intangible Heritage wants to increase awareness of this type of heritage. We want to exchange knowledge, experiences and inspiration. We want to develop joint strategies for identification, inventorying, documentation and safeguarding intangible heritage. The working group will act as a platform for collaboration and expertise exchanges within the Universeum network.

The working group was installed in 2025 (Universeum in Graz, Austria) and the first session will take place in 2026 (Universeum Coimbra, Portugal).

First goals

• Mapping intangible heritage within universities, like rituals, traditions, skills and practices
• Sharing inspiration and experiences on how to inventorise and safeguard intangible heritage