Uzbekistan and Tajikistan ICH Promotional Books(ICH & Society)

ICHCAP published intangible cultural heritage promotional books related to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan ICH to provide an overview and highlight some of their ICH. These promotional books follow-ups to the ICH books on ICH from Mongolia (2010), the Philippines (2012), Pacific Islands (2014), and Bhutan (2015). From this publication forward, ICHCAP is naming the book collections as "ICH & Society" to explore the relation between ICH and the society in depth.

Since 2010, ICHCAP has held annual Central Asian sub-regional network meetings with Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Mongolia to support ICH safeguarding activities in the sub-region. Through collaboration, ICHCAP has managed projects related to collecting ICH information, producing ICH websites, and constructing ICH video archives. The projects promote the value and significance of Central Asian ICH and have been recognized as successful cross-border ICH safeguarding activities.

 In 2016 ICHCAP initiated a project to publish ICH elements in Central Asian countries and to share the information online. During the seventh Central Asian sub-regional network meeting in 2016, there was a discussion on publishing ICH promotional books under the series as "ICH & Society" to enhance the visibility of Central Asian ICH. For the project, ICHCAP cooperated with the National Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan for UNESCO, ICESCO, National Commission of Tajikistan, and Tajik Culture and Information Research Center.

These ICH promotional books sort the ICH elements of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan into five and seven categories. Each book contains not only the well-known ICH of each country but also the little-known endangered ICH to help raise awareness. In addition, both books feature new and varied photographs to increase public interest in Central Asian ICH. The books are available in English and the local languages, Uzbek and Tajik. These books are important resources of Tajik and Uzbek ICH and can be used not only by Central Asian researchers and educators but also by anyone in the global community interested in safeguarding and transmitting the ICH.