Michael Dylan Foster is Associate Professor of Folklore and East Asian Studies at Indiana University. He is author of Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Yokai (2009), The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore (2015), and numerous articles on Japanese folklore, literature, and media.

1 IntroductionMichael Dylan Foster[Section: Local Studies]2 Voices on the Ground: Kutiyattam, UNESCO, and the Heritage of HumanityLeah Lowthorp3 The Economic Imperative of UNESCO Recognition: A South Korean Shamanic RitualKyoim Yun4 Demonic or Cultural Treasure? Local Perspectives on Vimbuza, ICH, and UNESCO in MalawiLisa Gilman5 Imagined UNESCOs: Interpreting ICH on a Japanese IslandMichael Dylan Foster6 Macedonia, UNESCO, and Intangible Cultural Heritage: The Challenging Fate of TeshkotoCarol Silverman7 Shifting Actors and Power Relations: Contentious Local Responses to the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Contemporary ChinaZiying You[Section: Critical Discussion]8 Understanding UNESCO: The Importance of Understanding the Organization in Evaluations of Its ICH ProgramsAnthony Seeger9 Learning to Live with ICH: Diagnosis and TreatmentValdimar Tr. Hafstein10 Cultural Forms, Policy Objects, Local AgendasDorothy Noyes