Cultural heritage is at the core of every society, from the food we eat to the clothes we wear to the tools we use to do our jobs.

UNBC Global and International Studies Associate Professor Dr. Agnieszka Pawlowska-Mainville says to ensure the long-lasting vibrancy, diversity, and resiliency of our cultures, we need to live them, share them, and talk about them.

Pawlowska-Mainville is expanding the scope of her research into intangible cultural heritage as the new United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Co-Chair in Living Heritage and Sustainable Livelihoods. It marks the first time a UNBC researcher has been awarded a UNESCO Chair.

“The Chair will unite communities, scholars, and organizations working in cultural heritage across Canada and we aim to share knowledge from different localities and from different languages, including Indigenous languages,” she says. “The purpose of the Chair is to promote humanity's cultural richness and exchange knowledge and share knowledge between different localities to promote and safeguard living heritages, including languages.”

Kristin Catherwood, the Director of Living Heritage at Heritage Saskatchewan, is joining Pawlowska-Mainville as the Co-Chair holder. Pawlowska-Mainville will lead the academic and international aspects of the project which will provide her with opportunities to expand her work in cultural heritage, language transmission, food systems, and sustainable livelihoods. Catherwood, who brings experience in community-based work as well as expertise in heritage and education, will focus on partner engagement and the work in the Prairies.

“This puts UNBC at the nexus of research in living heritage, sustainable economic pathways, language transmission, and heritage-sourced livelihoods,” Pawlowska-Mainville says.

One goal of the project is to create a Research Centre on Living Heritage that will house key data, galleries, information and multilingual resources in this area of research that is open, accessible, and free for communities to use. It will permit knowledge-holders to learn from each other, to connect with support systems, and experts to offer training in the protection, promotion, and safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage and sustainable livelihoods.

Students will have the opportunity to get involved by taking courses related to cultural heritage with many of them consisting of experiential learning, field trips and field schools. In addition, there will be internship opportunities at different organizations across Canada, including in communities.

“Students who have a passion for cultures, languages, helping communities to promote and protect their cultural heritages - including their own - are welcome to engage with us,” Pawlowska-Mainville says.