Tango with a paintbrush": community participation in the drafting of unesco's ich nominations

This article deals with the implications of participatory politics for the drafting of nominations for the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In recent decades, participation has become a legitimacy hallmark for public governance and has also affected heritage politics. I focus on the filete porteno, a nomination developed in Buenos Aires in 2014 and registered on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2015. Building on this case, I will discuss the complex dynamics developing within participatory practices, as well as their implications for governmental politics and their social repercussions.