Introduzione. Beni immateriali La Convenzione Unesco e il folklore

The UNESCO Convention of 2003 adopts an idea of culture with an anthropological matrix that promotes the diversities of knowledge and its plurality of forms. This Convention, which has become a cornerstone for ethno-anthropologists, is the starting point for a debate on the theoretical and practical limits and possibilities, the risks and opportunities of intangible heritage, which involve many actors, especially local ones, in cultural preservation and transformation processes. Determination, authenticity, reification, transformation, sharing, identity, community - these are the themes of the contributions published here, ones which intersect in different ways yet are essentially complementary, issues of a practical or theoretical nature, based on real case studies and actual participation in UNESCO recognition procedures.