Masked Identities: Safeguarding India’s Intangible Cultural Heritage

This volume looks at the current status of elements of intangible cultural heritage in India, nine years after ratifying the UNESCO Convention in 2003. An analysis of the pre-and-post UNESCO inscription has been conducted through case studies of UNESCO recognized masked theatre forms across four Asia-Pacific countries, deriving larger cross-cultural lessons for India. It includes detailed case studies of Kutiyattam and Chhau from India, Kabuki and Noh from Japan, Peking Opera and Kunqu from China, and the Balinese dance forms from Indonesia, along with their pictorial representations. The survey of the Chhau dance form was undertaken by the division for this publication.

Year of publication: 2012