Expressing Scotland: Holding the Intangible

A special event marking the 5th anniversary of CAHG Scotland. This milestone offers us a moment to celebrate achievements, reflect on progress, and look ahead to the evolving landscape of community archives and heritage in Scotland.

Building on the success of CAHG UK & Ireland’s 2025 Conference in Huddersfield, ‘Community voices, community heritage – preserving, sharing & celebrating diverse histories and traditions’, our Scottish event will continue that spirit of collaboration and reflection. With the UK’s recent ratification of UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, our proposed theme — ‘Expressing Scotland: Holding the Intangible’ — will explore how we recognise, record and sustain the living, dynamic aspects of our culture.

Theme focus

• How do we archive and hold onto our intangible culture — songs, stories, languages, crafts, practices, and ways of knowing — in a modern, diverse Scotland?
• What does this mean for community archives and heritage groups, and how can we help sustain, represent and celebrate these living heritages?
• How can we recognise both Scotland’s distinct traditions and the new cultural fusions that reflect the richness of contemporary life here?

There will be a range of talks, performances, workshops as well as the opportunity to take part in one-minute mayhem and marketplace. Programme coming soon!

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Host or Publisher Scottish Council on Archives