Ethnic Minority Folk Epics as Boundary Objects: Interactive Collaboration for the Sustainability of Intangible Cultural Heritage Meige of Chuxiong Yi Communities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22439/cjas.v43i1.7733Keywords:
boundary objects, Meige, Yi communities, Yunnan, cultural sustainability, intangible cultural heritage, Southwest ChinaAbstract
This study applies the notion of ‘boundary objects’ to cultural heritage studies, using as a case study Meige, the orally transmitted folk epics of the Chuxiong Yi people in Yunnan province, Southwest China. The study explores how Meige exemplifies interactive collaboration between diverse stakeholders—Yi communities, academic scholars, government agencies and industry professionals—in its preservation and revival within contemporary Chinese society and how these diverse partnerships cooperate to make the revival of Meige across three phases: canonisation, stage performance and social media dissemination. Treating Meige as a boundary object, this study examines how these partnerships collaborate effectively, leveraging their strengths to transfer and promote Meige sustainably. Via comprehensive qualitative research, this study incorporates archival analyses to examine Meige’s canonisation, virtual ethnography to observe Yi communities’ stage performance and daily music practices on social media, as well as fieldwork insights from Meige’s place of origin. It highlights the positive impact of stakeholders’ collaboration on Meige’s sustainability. Further, it identifies foundational issues to address, such as the lack of Meige heritage practitioners and the survival challenges faced by Meige heritage bearers, for critical long-term sustainability strategies.
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