ABSTRACT
The discourse of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) highlights the intangibility and cultural diversity. Following the works of N. Fraser and L. Smith, this chapter addresses the issues of the politics of recognition in the heritagisation process while focusing on the dimensions of actors' engagement. It presents the case, the ICH-isation of popular religions in China, which is closely related to the politics of recognition. Focusing on actors' engagement, the chapter examines the process and result of the ICH-isation of popular religions. It illustrates the different actions of religious community leaders struggling over recognition, and the process by which they interact with cultural experts and local governmental agencies when engaging in state-sponsored ICH-isation. The chapter also addresses the inclusion/exclusion resulting from the ICH-isation of popular religion in terms of resource relocation and boundary redrawing. It considers a methodological issue regarding the categorisation of actors in China's context.
