A Life You Know is Dying Like a Statue: Stateless Communities and Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding in Gulf Countries

To understand the extent to which the intangible cultural heritage of stateless communities in Gulf countries is safeguarded under the law, it is necessary to interpret international, regional, and state frameworks around cultural heritage and cultural rights – or human rights to culture. The current study reviews international law and regional frameworks that govern intangible cultural heritage in Gulf countries and examines a case study of the Bidun community in Kuwait. The article focuses on intangible cultural heritage in the context of stateless communities and examines the relationship to tangible cultural heritage as part of the intangible cultural heritage. The study finds that while the legal framework in Gulf countries lays out the groundwork for safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of stateless communities, some states’ laws and policies are not aligned with obligations under international and regional frameworks.