Renewing Museum Meanings and Action with Intangible Cultural Heritage

Abstract On August 24, 2022, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) adopted a new Museum Definition after a multi-year process of membership consultation and debate. During its development, ‘diversity,’ ‘inclusivity,’ and ‘community participation,’ alongside heightened attention to ethics, emerged as key concepts that ought to shape understandings of contemporary museum functions and activity. In this light, I discuss the benefits of prioritizing intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in museum work, reflecting the values that have driven the process of redefinition, and that museum professionals strive to espouse. Against the current backdrop of mounting political, economic, sociocultural, and ecological challenges, I argue that raising ICH to a higher level of museological priority reframes museum approaches to community engagement with ethics and equity at the fore, where culture keepers are centered as the authorities of their living heritage through collaboration. In turn, fostering greater inclusivity and diverse community involvement in museological processes and programming can be achieved in more meaningful and lasting ways.