In the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of 2003, the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) was defined as “the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage” (UNESCO, 2003). The Intangible Cultural Heritage, as the text of the Convention states, is transmitted from generation to generation and manifests itself in different domains: oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle for ICH; performing arts; social practices, rituals and festive events; knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; and traditional craftsmanship. The compromise to safeguard ICH in the different States Parties that has been initiated by the UNESCO includes a range of measures such as “the identification, documentation, research, preservation, protection, promotion, enhancement, transmission, particularly through formal and non-formal education, as well as the revitalization of the various aspects of such heritage” (UNESCO 2003).

In the last few years, and especially since the Convention, we have seen a growing interest in ICH as an essential factor for the maintenance of the cultures of the communities in an increasingly globalized world. Indeed, administration authorities, researchers from different disciplines, educators, etc. have started to appreciate the high relevance of ICH not only for the maintenance of cultural diversity but also for the promotion of both respect for other identities and intercultural dialogue. Thus, they have increased their work in order to contribute to the preservation, the study and the transmission of ICH in different regions of the world through initiatives such as the Plan Nacional para la Salvaguarda del Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial carried out by the Government of Spain (2011).

The Intangible Cultural Heritage Archives Research Group at the Public University of Navarre is one of the research groups that aim at contributing to all these tasks in the Navarrese context, through the collection and preservation of testimonies and data, their study and the development of educational materials for their transmission. The group finds it necessary to promote the exchange between researchers who work in the ICH of different regions and communities in order to share the generated knowledge, the technological developments and the educational and dissemination proposals that have been or are being successfully carried out. With this aim, the group organizes the 1st International Conference entitled Intangible Cultural Heritage: Preservation, Study and Transmission to be held in Pamplona (Spain) 5-6 October 2017. The conference will be an interdisciplinary scientific meeting in which the three big areas of development of ICH will be addressed: its preservation (identification, documentation, inventory…), its study from different perspectives and disciplines (linguistics, literature studies, arts, sociology, anthropology…) and its transmission (heritage education, dissemination and awareness, etc.).

The conference will include plenary sessions, parallel session presentations (20 minutes + 10 mins for discussion) and posters, and will be held in the unique setting of the Museum of Navarre, in the heart of the city of Pamplona and a few meters away from the Town Hall Square. This event is, in addition, one of the highlights in the celebration of the 30^th Anniversary of the Public University of Navarre. We invite contributions for parallel session presentations or posters in any of the languages of the Conference (Spanish, Basque, English or French) and in any of the three areas established.