| dc.description.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. | |
