INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND ITS IMPACT ON SAFEGUARDING INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN HAND WEAVING IN AKHMIM (EGYPT) AND POCHAMPALLY (INDIA).

Refaat, Hassan; Hassan, Nayira

doi:10.21608/jguaa2.2024.189833.1151

	INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND ITS IMPACT ON SAFEGUARDING INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN HAND WEAVING IN AKHMIM (EGYPT) AND POCHAMPALLY (INDIA).
Journal of the General Union of Arab Archaeologists
Article 11, Volume 10, Issue 1, January 2025, Page 207-223 PDF (2.33 MB)
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.21608/jguaa2.2024.189833.1151
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Authors
Hassan Refaat ¹; Nayira Hassan ²
¹Lecturer at Tourism Guidance Department, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Luxor University, Egypt
²PhD Candidate, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Helwan University, Egypt
Abstract
Abstract الملكية الفكرية وآثرها في الحفاظ على التراث الثقافي غير المادي: دراسة مقارنة بين حرفة النسيج اليدوي بأخميم مصر وبوشامبالي الهند[Ar] تعتبر الحرف اليدوية التقليدية أحد عناصر التراث الثقافى غير المادي وفقًا لاتفاقية اليونسكو لعام 2003 مما تتطلب العمل على الحفاظ عليها وصونها . يهدف البحث من خلال استخدام المنهج الوصفي التحليلى إلى تحليل الدور الذي يمكن أن تلعبه إداوت الملكية الفكرية في صون وحماية حرفة النسيج اليدوي، وذلك من خلال اجراء دراسة مقارنة بين أخميم (مصر) ومدينة بوشامبالي (الهند) حيث تشتهر كلا منها بحرفة النسيج اليدوى. أظهرت النتائج أن أدوات الملكية الفكرية قد لعبت دورًا هاما للغاية في صون واستدامة حرفة النسيج اليدوي بمدينة بوشامبالى بالهند، كما أشارت النتائج إلى الدور الهام الذى يمكن لأدوات الملكية الفكرية أن تلعبه في صون واستدامة حرفة النسيج اليدوى فى مصر عامة وأخميم بصورة خاصة، حيث اوضحت الدراسة أن هناك تسع مجالات رئيسية مرتبطة بحرفة النسيج اليديو يمكن لأدوات الملكية الفكرية تطويرها وتحويلها من نقاط ضعف إلى نقاط القوة، مما سوف يؤثر بشكل إيجابي على حماية وصون حرفة النسيج اليدوي بأخميم. تم تصنيف هذه المجالات التسع إلى ثلاث مجموعات رئيسيه المجموعة الأولى وهى تلك المرتبطة بالمنتج، أما المجموعة الثانية فتضم تلك المجالات المتعلقة بالحرفيين،أما المجموعة الثالثة فهى تلك المرتبطة بالعملاء. [En]Traditional crafts are one of the elements of intangible cultural heritage that all countries of the world seek to preserve and protect and Being currently enlisted in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, the traditional hand weaving in southern Egypt faces the danger of extinction. This article aims to explore the potential impact of Intellectual Property (IP) in safeguarding the traditional hand weaving in Akhmim and elevating its status from the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding into the representative list. To achieve this objective, a comparative study was conducted between Akhmim city in Egypt and Pochampally village in India, considering their shared cultural heritage but different approaches in utilizing IP tools to preserve their respective weaving traditions. Intellectual Property (IP) tools have been effectively utilized in Pochampally to safeguard their traditional hand weaving, whereas in Akhmim, the utilization of such tools has been lacking. The study employed a qualitative research approach by conducting four semi-structured interviews with four Egyptian experts from public, private, and non-governmental organizations, all focused on the sustainable development of Egyptian handicraft clusters. The study revealed that traditional hand weaving in Akhmim is significantly underperforming, leading to its inclusion in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. Previous interventions by international and local organizations primarily focused on product quality enhancement and diversification, overlooking the crucial role that IP tools can play in safeguarding Akhmim's traditional hand weaving.Furthermore, the study highlighted that making full use of IP tools is the most needed intervention for the safeguarding of Akhmim's traditional hand weaving at this time. It emphasized that IP tools can turn the main challenges faced by Akhmim hand-weavers into opportunities for growth. The study identified nine areas where IP tools can play a significant role in the development of traditional hand-weaving. These areas were classified into three main themes: product-related, craftsmen-related, and customer-related.
Keywords
Akhmim; Cultural Heritage safeguarding; Hand Weaving; Intangible heritage; Intellectual Property, Pochampally; Traditional Handicrafts


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