Tugging rituals and games, as proposed by South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines, was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2015 at the tenth Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Tug-of-war is a traditional folk game that is closely related to agricultural rituals and community culture. It is a universal cultural heritage practiced all around the world, beyond East Asia, in different forms, depending on climate or other conditions. Therefore, coordinated efforts are needed to preserve the diversity of tugging and protect it as intangible cultural heritage. As part of such safeguarding efforts, the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (ICHCAP, under the auspices of UNESCO) and Dangjin City, will jointly publish a book on tug-of-war at the end of 2018. The book is the second in the “Living Heritage Series,” which was first published by ICHCAP last year. It will be a collection of papers on tug-of-war accepted through an open call.

Themes, format and deadline

Details for paper submission are as follows:

• Theme: Tug-of-war (meanings and current practice as traditional knowledge, transmission/safeguarding challenges, discourse on safeguarding, etc.)
• Format: Paper on tug-of-war practices to share related experience, rather than an academic thesis
• Language: English
• Word count: 200 words (abstract), 3,000 words (final paper)
• Deadline for abstract submission: 2 September 2018

Further information

The “Living Heritage Series” was initiated in 2017 to help identify diverse ICH elements and spread their value as traditional knowledge. Through this series, ICHCAP aims to publish comprehensive books to introduce intangible cultural heritage elements as well as the related communities, sustainability, UNESCO activities, and discourse. ICHCAP also supports safeguarding efforts of various stakeholders through joint publication with NGOs and local governments. For additional information about this call on "Tugging Rituals and Games", please visit http://www2.ichcap.org/call-for-papers-tugging-rituals-and-games/