About the inventory

Living traditions – an inventory of intangible cultural heritage in Sweden.

The inventory is part of the work with UNESCO's Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage External link. of Sweden. The countries that have ratified the convention need to create one or more inventories of living, intangible cultural heritage in their own country. Countries that wish to submit a nomination to the international lists must first be able to show that the proposed element is included in a national inventory. The Institute for Language and Folklore has the overall responsibility for this work in Sweden and it is carried out together with a range of stakeholders. Anyone who is interested can submit proposals to the inventory.

Tools to communicate knowledge

According to the convention, the inventory should be a tool to identify, describe and communicate knowledge about the different elements of intangible cultural heritage. Elements may include widespread traditions and knowledge, but also elements that are only practiced by a small group of people. We hope that the inventory work in Sweden will provide opportunities for new knowledge, diversity and participation.

A living document

The inventory is a living document that is constantly updated. We hope that the inventory will be a growing source of knowledge about the living traditions of our time.