| Description: |
Cultural heritage, in all its components, is a valuable, if not vital, factor for there-organisation of our societies on the basis of dialogue between cultures,respect for identities and a feeling of belonging to a community of values. Thetransdisciplinary research project “BreadTime” (2015-2017, BMWFW Austria) focuses on the cultural sustainability and the manifold agricultural and manual practices of the cultivation and processing of grains and the production of bread in the rural region Lesachtal/ Austria. An inter- and transdisciplinary setting (university, local schools, local registered societies, media partners, Austrian Commission for UNESCO) enables to analysis, protection and documentation the local knowledge and practice related to the intangible cultural heritage of “Lesachtal Bread” which is part of the intangible cultural heritage list of the UNESCO. How could this local intangible cultural heritage be saved and transferred from one generation to the next generation? Citizens can participate in narrative dialogue groups as an open communicative space to collect and discuss local knowledge or write down and send their experiences to the collection of biographical records. Furthermore, students from Secondary lower and upper schools were instructed in the method of oral history and interviewed elder locals about the traditional cultivation and its significance in their daily rural life. By this way oral history interviews not only served as a tool of communication and mutual learning, but also as empirical basis for several research products, such as a documentary of local narratives and local practices related to bread. By using this method of intergenerational communication, it could access and secure the local narratives and traditional knowledge, and communicate interest and curiosity between the youngsters of the valley and elders of the community. This form of intergenerational oral history brings together people of different generations in a socially integrating way, with mutual interest and also emotional bonds. As opposed to passive learning, oral history is very engaging and hands-on, not only collecting stories but also creating social bridges between generations. |