A Systematic Review of the Traditional Handicrafts Preservation Toward Sustainable Intangible Cultural Heritage

Abstract

Traditional handicrafts are deeply historically and culturally significant and essential to the intangible cultural heritage of nations and ethnic groups worldwide. This study explores the global research trends on intangible cultural heritage traditional handicrafts since the 2015 establishment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, through a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis. Using Bibliometrix, we examine 83 articles from Web of Science and Scopus databases to identify research themes, developmental trends, and connections to global policy implementations. The results show an upward trend in publication outputs for traditional handicrafts and sustainability, which aligns with their academic popularity as critical issues of the cross-section. Technological advancements, such as 3D scanning and virtual reality, provide new paths to serve better documentation of craft and public involvement. The analysis also points out that different cultural and economic backgrounds have significantly shaped the protection strategies of various regions, from the combination of tradition and modern technology in East Asia to legal protection and international cooperation in European and American strategies. This highlights the urgent need for scientific mapping of traditional handicrafts preservation strategies, employing interdisciplinary ways, and with consideration for integrating big data analytic techniques. It also underscores the importance of these traditional handicrafts as a core element for the sustainable transmission of cultural heritage globally, preserving the unique dignity and development of each culture.