The role of multicultural intangible heritage in the consciousness of urban actors. The case of Gdansk and Wroclaw

Abstract

_{The aim of the article is to present a conceptual and interpretative framework for most current discourse on the role of multicultural intangible heritage in the process of meaning-making and shaping the identity of the cities of Gdansk and Wroclaw. The focus is on the analysis of various forms of presenting patterns of identity of cities with a multicultural past, exhibited by expert and lay informants from both cities. The conceptual framework uses some elements of a multidimensional concept of modernity, including Anthony Giddens’ theory of structuration, which emphasizes the role of types of knowledge used by various actors of social life and points to active and reflexive individuals. A key word is discursive knowledge – knowledge that can be verbalized and practical – more difficult to express verbally but decisive when it comes to taking action. The focus is on reflexive individuals in their social actions around discursive and practical codes constitutive for urban identity. Empirical data for the analysis was drawn from semi-structured interviews with expert informants and survey questionnaires with lay inhabitants of the two cities. The analysis is focused on a variety of models of reflexivity rooted in social practices, in the potential of production and reproduction of cityness in the context of multiculturalism.}