Intangible heritage in multicultural Brussels: A case study of identity and performance.

Abstract: This paper examines the development of the Zinneke Parade, a new intangible heritage project in Brussels. Using an interdisciplinary approach which encompasses heritage studies and multicultural studies, it analyses the processes and aims of the parade. With rising globalisation and the corresponding fragmenting of societies has come the many legitimacy claims of identity politics. The resulting growth of multiculturalist and interculturalist approaches in ethnoculturally diverse societies and increased pluralism in heritage projects form the background of the Zinneke Parade. Through narratives gathered from interviews and promotional materials, this paper discusses how Zinneke manifests both interculturalist and pluralist heritage approaches.