Understanding intangible aspects of cultural heritage: The role of active imagination

Despite an undoubted awareness of the intangible aspects of culture in heritage studies, scholars continue to base their understanding of intangible heritage according to rationalist theories of perception, which accept only a single mode of perception—that which is bound to the empirical, sensorial and terrestrial world. How are we to appropriately value and safeguard practices such as ‘shamanic voyages’ to the worlds of spirits, engage with the symbolic narratives of creation myths and recognise the significance of religious rituals and mystical experiences, if we do not consider the ways of knowing, being and doing of diverse cultural groups in the first place? A meaningful analysis of intangible dimensions in heritage needs to consider the role and ontological status of human imagination. By drawing on the theory of imagination proposed by Ibn ‘Arabi and discussed by Corbin, this paper enquires about the role of imagination in people’s perception of intangible heritage. With a view to redress the symbolic function in human perception, the paper concludes by proposing the use of ‘active imagination’ as a method in heritage management to understand how intangible experiences and values are associated with the physical aspects of heritage