A Search for New Meaning: Virtual Landscapes, Identity and the Cross-Cultural Nature of Intangible Heritage

Abstract

This paper explores the role virtual landscapes play in the formation of the cross-cultural quality of the intangible heritage. Research suggests that the highly poignant global blending of cultures generates a field of new forms of expressions and gives birth to new contrasting cultural identities. The variety of cultural backgrounds immersed in the framework of globalized varieties reflects the “multiple dimensions that compose it” (Salzman & Matathia, 2006,134). Besides, the avalanche of technological advancements and the age of digitized communication transitions cultural expressions away from the accepted forms of the new unexplored landscapes. It also argues that the virtual spaces provide a safe-haven environment conducive to the development of personal and cultural identity and formation of communities that create a sense of belonging. Further, it asserts that the vibrant processes of virtual acculturation blend with the reality of human experience to produce novel virtual forms of cultural expressions. In this context, it argues that the inherent dualism and dichotomy between the virtual and real life intensifies a sense of prospective creativity, oriented towards the future-oriented shape of cultural identity and its ongoing meaning for life.