01583nas a2200169   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002653001500043653004500058100001900103245011000122856015000232300001100382490000700393520099300400022002001393                                       d10aJapan (JP)10aLists of the 2003 Convention (ICH\_1331)1 aMichael Foster00aThe UNESCO Effect: Confidence, Defamiliarization, and a New Element in the Discourse on a Japanese Island  uhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84857007324&doi=10.2979%2fjfolkrese.48.1.63&partnerID=40&md5=4162e70c5432c5bd98ab17a095fad536  a63-1070 v483 aThe 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage established a "Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity." In 2009, seventy-six traditions from around the world were inscribed as the "first elements" on this list. One of these was Toshidon, a New Year s Eve ritual performed on the island of Shimo-Koshikijima off the southwest coast of Japan. How does recognition by an international body affect the way this small community perceives and performs its "heritage"? In this article, I contextualize the UNESCO selection of Toshidon, describe the ritual itself, and then focus on the discussion that occurred on the island in 2009- 10, as the UNESCO designation became a new factor in a long-running and complex local discourse on tradition. Observing the on-the-ground effects of UNESCO s recognition on this one island community provides insight into the broader interaction between global cultural policy and local tradition.  a07377037 (ISSN)