ABSTRACT
This chapter offers an analysis of flamenco's status as Intangible Cultural Heritage, beginning with an overview of heritage policy both internationally and within Spain. It discusses previous candidatures for flamenco's recognition as heritage by UNESCO prior to its eventual inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. The chapter examines the impact this inscription has had on the development of flamenco at an institutional level, particularly its establishment as an 'official' form of heritage within the framework of national and regional heritage legislation. The most significant event following the inscription, however, was the first major international conference on flamenco held in Andalusia at Seville between 10 and 12 November 2011. The conclusions of the conference outline three overall strategies: organisational and social structure; conservation and research; and diffusion and promotion. The chapter also focuses on didactic projects that have emerged in recent years among flamenco artists and aficionados in the post-UNESCO climate.
