The University of Dhaka has taken extensive initiatives to record, research, and preserve Bangladesh’s intangible cultural heritage (ICH) — including folklore, traditional language and knowledge, community rituals, and displaced cultural identities. These efforts are institutionalized through academic programs, research projects, publications, and public archives, ensuring the long-term preservation of the country’s living heritage.

Key Institutional Activities

• Academic and Research Integration:Departments such as Bengali, Sanskrit, Pāli& Buddhist Studies, History, Islamic History & Culture, Information Science & Library Management, Theatre & Performance Studies, Linguistics, Music, Dance, World Religions & Culture, Anthropology, Sociology, Mass Communication & Journalism, Japanese Studies and all Fine Arts Departments (Oriental Art, Sculpture, Ceramics, Crafts, Art History) regularly conduct documentation-based research on folklore, traditions, language, and indigenous knowledge.These are reflected in theses, journals, course curricula, and fieldwork-based projectsthat collectively safeguard intangible heritage.
• Centenary Heritage Documentation Project (2021–2024):During its Centenary Celebration, the university formed a Centenary Celebration Central Committee that coordinated comprehensive heritage documentation and publication. The Dhaka University released a large number of books preserving the university’s hundred-year journey—covering history, literature, art, music, and educational heritage—making it a major archival contribution to Bangladesh’s cultural documentation.
• Libraries, Museums, and Record Rooms:The Central Library, departmental archives, and museums (including the DUCSU Museum, Language Martyr Abul Barkat memorial Museum,Museum of Zoology, Science Museum, and Fine Arts Archive) store and preserve manuscripts, rare collections, folklore records, and oral histories related to national identity and displaced communities.
• Cultural Research and Field Studies:The Department of Anthropology and Bangladesh Culture Research Centre conduct fieldwork-based projects on cultural continuity, migration, and identity (e.g., “Migration and Identity: Change, Continuity and Connectedness”, University of Dhaka, 2024).
  These initiatives align with UNESCO’s call for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage at the community level.

Through these collective academic and cultural preservation activities, the University of Dhaka contributes significantly to safeguarding Bangladesh’s intangible heritage, ensuring its intergenerational transmission, and upholding SDG 11.2.6—“Record and preserve cultural heritage.”