MURAL - Maynooth University Research Archive Library



    The Safeguarding of Braille as Intangible Cultural Heritage: At Their Fingertips


    Krolla, Eva (2025) The Safeguarding of Braille as Intangible Cultural Heritage: At Their Fingertips. STALS Research Paper, 4. pp. 1-27. ISSN 1974-5656

    [thumbnail of EK_safe.pdf]
    Preview
    Text
    EK_safe.pdf
    Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike.

    Download (512kB) | Preview

    Abstract

    The adoption of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003 Convention) contributed to the broadening of the concept of cultural heritage beyond material and immovable manifestations. Following the recognition of Braille, a tactile reading and writing system, as intangible cultural heritage (ICH) under the 2003 Convention by Germany and France, this article discusses the boundaries of our current understanding of ICH. In that connection it also reflects as to whether the 2003 Convention can proffer a degree of legal protection for the cultural heritage and cultural identities of persons with disabilities more generally. In doing so, it links the 2003 Convention to the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and specifically to the realisation of the right to participate in cultural life. The analysis suggests that the 2003 Convention can indeed be viewed as one instrument through which States Parties can gradually realise the right to participate in cultural life of persons with disabilities in line with their obligations under the CRPD. Moreover, the recognition of Braille as ICH element under the 2003 Convention contributes to deepening our understanding of cultural diversity and may be a pathway to recognising new “other groups”, including persons with disabilities, as creators and bearers of cultural heritage.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: Intangible Cultural Heritage; Braille; Right to Participate in Cultural Life; Disability; UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage; UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Social Sciences > Law
    Item ID: 20495
    Depositing User: IR Editor
    Date Deposited: 21 Aug 2025 13:45
    Journal or Publication Title: STALS Research Paper
    Publisher: Sant'Anna Legal Studies
    Refereed: Yes
    Related URLs:
    URI: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/20495
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

    Repository Staff Only (login required)

    Item control page
    Item control page

    Downloads

    Downloads per month over past year

    Origin of downloads