MUSEOLOGY OF THE LIVING HERITAGE OF COGNAC CULTURE IN NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE: FOR AN INTERNATIONAL REREADING OF THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN DEVELOPMENT OF EAU-DE-VIE OF COGNAC IN THE CHARENTES

Abstract

Communities have always invented systems to preserve the evolution and the history of their thoughts. Nevertheless, how is the knowledge associated with this human thought cultivated? Where does it come from and in what ways is it constituted? The answers to these questions are partly given through actions intended to preserve and enhance the collections of tangible and intangible artifacts present in museums. From science, society or art, but also ecomuseums, interpretation centres or archives, communities ensure the survival of this knowledge in many ways. This article highlights the knowledge, practices and know-how resulting from the living heritage of Cognac brandy, registered as a French intangible heritage in 2020. The Association des Savoir-faire du Cognac’s request for an inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, opens new perspectives for the interpretation of this intangible heritage.