Listening to the Past: The Role of Oral Histories and Ethnography in Safeguarding Cultural Heritage

The research essentially focuses on the role of oral history and ethnographic methods for the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) preservation, which includes traditional knowledge, arts, rituals, faiths, and so forth. Moreover, it points to some community-based, contextual approaches for the protection of ICH, under the conditions of contemporary challenges, such as globalisation, modernisation, and cultural homogenization. By using international cases such as UNESCO's 2003 Convention and India's multi-socio-political environment, the article argues that ethnography and oral history are key tools for preserving and disseminating ICH. The oral history method sheds light on the lives of indigenous subaltern populations that otherwise remain at the margins, while critiquing dominant discourses. The method aids in the recovery of subaltern voices and the sustaining of embodied performances and local knowledge systems, but, at the same time, also triggers a conflict of interests in the area of intellectual property. Ethnography, on the contrary, gives a detailed, in-depth observation and analysis of activities, crafts, and the culture of everyday life. It includes reflexivity, the relation between the researcher and the subject, and a careful analysis of symbolic connotation and socio-linguistic structure. The study shows that oral history and ethnographic research are indispensable for heritage policy, especially in such societies that are postcolonial and multicultural, where ethical documentation is not only required but also must be highly regarded. It stresses the need to consider ICH as a living part of cultural identity by advocating digital archiving, climate resilience, and youth-driven transmission of ICH.