Living Heritage - An Exploratory Study on Cultural Heritage and Tensions Involved in its Preservation and Performance in the Work of NAKS

Abstract

This thesis explored some of the tensions involved in the preservation and performance of Afro-Surinamese intangible cultural heritage within NAKS. NAKS is a cultural organisation based in Paramaribo, Suriname, which plays a central role in preserving and performing Afro-Surinamese culture through music, dance, and oral traditions. The central research question examines how NAKS members experience tensions involved in the preservation and performance of cultural heritage. Using a qualitative and ethnographic design, the study draws on participant observations, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews with NAKS members. This multi-method approach allowed for a layered understanding of lived cultural experiences and the understanding of its context. It also required reflexivity due to the researcher’s positionality as a white Dutch working in a postcolonial context. The analysis identifies three core paradoxes that emerge in the engagement of NAKS members with culture: the tension between preserving and keeping culture alive, the emancipatory power of cultural expression versus the risk of canon formation, and the creation of in-group identity versus the danger of exclusion. These paradoxes emerged through iterative engagement with participants and were analysed using theories of culture (Baumann, Turner), heritage (Ashworth et al., Harrison), cultural memory (Assmann), subjugated knowledge (Foucault), and social identity (Tajfel & Turner). While the study offers in-depth insights into a specific group of highly engaged cultural practitioners, its scope does not cover the broader Afro-Surinamese population. Nevertheless, the findings contribute to debates on postcolonial heritage and identity by showing that cultural transmission is not merely about continuity, but an ongoing negotiation shaped by emotion, context, and power.