International Journal of Cultural Property

15/02/2024

Remember this?

Hard rock minerals like gold, silver, copper and lithium on public lands belong to the American public, but under a 150-year-old law, the US gives them away for free.

16/12/2023

Rachel King -- your work?

In a first-of-its-kind study for North America, scientists accumulated a list of potential invasive species for Florida, and researchers deemed 40 pose the greatest threat.

16/12/2023

Happy to have played a (very small) part in this

The largest-ever dam removal is underway, a milestone in the nation’s reckoning over its past attempts to bend nature to human will.

15/12/2023

"I'm sure I'm not the only one who goes crazy from their kids asking for every single thing they see in a grocery store. I tell them no lots, but I think naturally kids just see and ask. Well, to distract them from this I started letting them pick out one can for the food bank - any can they choose - every time we go to the store, and they love it!
They put so much thought into what can, they carry the can to the till, hand it to the cashier, and then put it in the food bank bin. My daughter likes to explain to people what the food bank is for. We have done this for our last five trips to the store and not once have they asked for something! And they are helping the food bank in the process.
I know this won't last forever, but if anyone has a 2 or 4-year-olds like me, I recommend trying it! Maybe when they get older I can turn it into a challenge (find a can that starts with the letter 'c' or find a vegetable)."
Credit: Candice Bell

05/12/2023

Rachel King

After half a century in a tank, the beloved orca Tokitae, also known as Lo**ta, was about to be freed. Then her life ended, and a moment of reckoning began.

27/11/2023

Thomas King

13/11/2023

Kayla grad

16/02/2022

Elizabeth Weiss has brought a suit against San José State University for espousing views that are out of step with mainstream anthropology. Especially her views on returning remains to ancestral resting places and repatriation.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/02/15/anthropologist-says-shes-being-punished-views-bones?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=7d41a246b2-DNU_2021_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-7d41a246b2-197591693&mc_cid=7d41a246b2&mc_eid=3526adf7f4

You can read a collaborative response to Weiss's book in volume 28, Issue 1 of the journal:

Halcrow, S., Aranui, A., Halmhofer, S., Heppner, A., Johnson, N., Killgrove, K., & Schug, G. (2021). Moving beyond Weiss and Springer’s Repatriation and Erasing the Past: Indigenous values, relationships, and research. International Journal of Cultural Property, 28(2), 211-220. doi:10.1017/S0940739121000229 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/moving-beyond-weiss-and-springers-repatriation-and-erasing-the-past-indigenous-values-relationships-and-research/1C3508D83603FDDE3237B572E1B32FC8

Moving beyond Weiss and Springer’s Repatriation and Erasing the Past: Indigenous values, relationships, and research - Volume 28 Issue 2

16/02/2022

Read the response to Weiss and Springer quoted in this article published in the International Journal of Cultural Property by Sian Ellen Halcrow and colleagues. It, and two other response essays are available Open Access. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/moving-beyond-weiss-and-springers-repatriation-and-erasing-the-past-indigenous-values-relationships-and-research/1C3508D83603FDDE3237B572E1B32FC8

Her critics question her understanding of the discipline as a whole.

31/01/2022

Read why writes that aims to break the 'tacit pact between the museums and the public' in her open access review of The Brutish Museum

https://doi.org/10.1017/S0940739121000291

Review of Dan Hicks, The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution. 345 pp. Pluto Press, 2020.

30/10/2021

24/09/2021

Case Note: Head of a Young Woman: The thrilling recovery of a flying Picasso

by Nicolás Zambrana-Tévar

Abstract
The case of the illicit export of a Picasso painting by its owner and its confiscation and recovery by French and Spanish authorities provides an interesting example of the complexities of the transnational criminal, civil, and administrative law protection of national cultural heritage and of the ongoing efforts to achieve useful legal instruments at the European level, which foster and harmonize the current and often informal mechanisms of cooperation and judicial assistance among the different domestic enforcing agencies. It also attempts to show how Spanish authorities have made a legitimate, but possibly overreaching, use of existing European Union law in order to recover and appropriate a valuable work of art.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/abs/head-of-a-young-woman-the-thrilling-recovery-of-a-flying-picasso/50922DAD4ADFF7DD09E8F1E0B53561AD

23/09/2021

Open Access article: Consuming the past into the present: The case of the Iberians (Valencia, Spain)

by Beatriz Santamarina, Tono Vizcaíno

Abstract
In this article, we aim to focus on how the Iberian past (sixth century to the first century BC) has been used both to shape identities and to produce values in the marketplace and how the triad of the past, authenticity, and tradition is key in the commodification of the Iberian world. To do so, we will examine developments in the village of Moixent (Valencia, Spain). In this town, the Iberians and their archaeological remains are presented as the protagonists of the area, accompanied by several “heritage stratifications.” Through case studies of family-run wineries, we analyze the process of symbolic appropriation of the Iberians in the local wine sector and its confluence with cultural tourism as well as how it has led to the development of territorial branding based on the past.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/consuming-the-past-into-the-present-the-case-of-the-iberians-valencia-spain/FD4340B4B2B37D1A70B70D076EE184EA

Consuming the past into the present: The case of the Iberians (Valencia, Spain) - Volume 28 Issue 1

22/09/2021

Some trends incorporating Sáminess into modern Nordic architecture

by Anu Soikkeli

Abstract
Perhaps the most difficult assignments in architecture are those requiring that tradition be brought into the design. This wish might be included in the assignment by the client or it may be a goal set by the designers themselves. This article takes up the topic of cultural borrowings as well as the relationship between the designer and the features of the local culture – specifically, the Sámi lavvu theme. In this article, some attempts will be presented to make Sámi culture visible in architecture at different times. Architecture follows the same kinds of stereotypical representations that are now criticized in museums when presenting Indigenous peoples. The Sámi are often presented in national museums as a separate theme, and, in architecture, certain themes are highlighted as “Sámi” features. Architecture has remained a discipline that celebrates the mixing of elements and motifs, while many art practices are tightening the boundaries around cultural license. However, this article does not focus on cultural appropriation in architecture or on the imbalance of power in planning; rather, it presents a contribution of how architects have interpreted the lavvu theme in their design between the 1940s and the 1990s. It also highlights the process of change that has taken place over a few decades; strengthening respect for Indigenous cultures and criticizing cultural exploitation have also had an influence on planning.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/abs/some-trends-incorporating-saminess-into-modern-nordic-architecture/A74C5EA06FE9FDE9CCF22CE9E2A76817

Some trends incorporating Sáminess into modern Nordic architecture - Volume 28 Issue 1

21/09/2021

Are we there yet? A review of proposed Aboriginal cultural heritage laws in New South Wales, Australia

by Kylie Lingard, Natalie P. Stoianoff, Evana Wright, Sarah Wright

Abstract
This article examines the extent to which a recent law reform initiative in New South Wales (NSW), Australia—the draft Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill 2018 (NSW)—advances the general principles outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The examination reveals some improvements on the current legal framework and some concerning proposals that distance the NSW government from the UNDRIP principles. Key concerns include a proposed transfer of administrative responsibility to Aboriginal bodies with no corresponding guarantee of funding; the continued vesting of key decision-making powers in government; inept provisions for the protection of secret knowledge; and lower penalties for harming cultural heritage than for related offences in existing environmental and planning legislation. Given the bill’s weaknesses, the article explores pragmatic alternatives to better advance the UNDRIP principles.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/abs/are-we-there-yet-a-review-of-proposed-aboriginal-cultural-heritage-laws-in-new-south-wales-australia/2BD57AAC4B35377A2BE73D273C320E7B

Are we there yet? A review of proposed Aboriginal cultural heritage laws in New South Wales, Australia - Volume 28 Issue 1

21/09/2021

N**i Science, wartime collections, and an American museum: An object itinerary of the Anthropologie Symbol

by Dru McGill and Jennifer St. Germain

Abstract
A number of recent works have explored the value of scholarly efforts to “unpack” museum collections and examine the constitutive networks and histories of objects. The interrogations of collections through methods such as object biographies and itineraries imparts important knowledge about the institutions, disciplines, and individuals who made museum collections, contribute to deeper understandings of the roles of objects in creating meaning in and of the world, and suggest implications for future practice and policies. This article examines the object itinerary of a cultural property item of negative heritage: a three-dimensional painted plaster work of craft-art originally designed to symbolize the scientific practice of anthropology in early twentieth-century Germany and later associated with wartime collecting during World War II, the history of American archaeology, and the modern repatriation movement in museums.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/abs/nazi-science-wartime-collections-and-an-american-museum-an-object-itinerary-of-the-anthropologie-symbol/369838B45F9A807546292BDEC590499C

N**i Science, wartime collections, and an American museum: An object itinerary of the Anthropologie Symbol - Volume 28 Issue 1

20/09/2021

The less considered part: Contextualizing immaterial heritage from German colonial contexts in the restitution debate

by Mèhèza Kalibani

Abstract
Since the publication of the “restitution report” by Felwine Sarr and Bénédicte Savoy in November 2018, the debate around the restitution of African artifacts inherited from German colonialism in German museums has become increasingly intense. While the restitution debate in Germany is generally focused on “material cultural heritage” and human remains, this reflection attempts to contextualize the “immaterial heritage” (museum collections inventory data, photographs, movies, sound recordings, and digital archive documents) from German colonialism and plead for its consideration in this debate. It claims that the first step of restitution consists of German ethnological museums being transparent about their possessions of artifacts from colonial contexts, which means providing all available information about museum collections from colonial contexts and making them easily accessible to the people from the former German colonies.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/abs/less-considered-part-contextualizing-immaterial-heritage-from-german-colonial-contexts-in-the-restitution-debate/50C38A172354903BF6BF2BBF6F4380F0

The less considered part: Contextualizing immaterial heritage from German colonial contexts in the restitution debate - Volume 28 Issue 1

17/09/2021

A tale of two cities: The fate of Delhi as UNESCO World Heritage

by Lynn Meskell

Abstract
This article examines the trajectory and fate of Delhi’s Imperial Capital Cities nomination, submitted to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2015 for inscription on the World Heritage List. I employ the dossier and events surrounding its withdrawal to reveal the political imbrications of urban conservation, international institutions, neoliberal governance, and colonial histories. First, I underscore the prominence of India as a member of the World Heritage Committee and its efforts to secure an increasing number of UNESCO properties. Second, I situate the dossier within the ambit of neoliberal governance that recalibrates and promotes urban heritage preservation, while similarly encouraging development and economic growth. Building upon this point, I consider how sustained government efforts to reframe Delhi as a “global city,” coupled with the identification of Delhi’s imperial capitals with Mughal and British rule, resulted in the dossier’s withdrawal. Third, the episode reveals tensions in this specific political moment over contemporary perceptions of imperial occupation and “foreign” empires, which plagued the dossier from the outset and continue to reverberate today. Finally, there are lessons to be learned for urban heritage in India and Asian heritage in general, outside the narrow purview of European cities, so many of which are already listed as World Heritage.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/abs/tale-of-two-cities-the-fate-of-delhi-as-unesco-world-heritage/D3AE50846650553A7F210D6C56D20162

A tale of two cities: The fate of Delhi as UNESCO World Heritage - Volume 28 Issue 1

16/09/2021

Open Access Article by Samuel Andrew Hardy:

Abstract:
Rescue has long been a defense for the removal of cultural property. Since the explosion of iconoclasm in West Asia, North Africa, and West Africa, there has been a growing demand for cultural property in danger zones to be “rescued” by being purchased and given “asylum” in “safe zones” (typically, in the market countries of Western Europe and North America). This article reviews evidence from natural experiments with the “rescue” of looted antiquities and stolen artifacts from across Asia and Europe. Unsurprisingly, the evidence reaffirms that “rescue” incentivizes looting, smuggling, and corruption, as well as forgery, and the accompanying destruction of knowledge. More significantly, “rescue” facilitates the laundering of “ordinary” illicit assets and may contribute to revenue streams of criminal organizations and violent political organizations; it may even weaken international support for insecure democracies. Ultimately, “rescue” by purchase appears incoherent, counter-productive, and dangerous for the victimized communities that it purports to support.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/conflict-antiquities-rescue-or-ransom-the-cost-of-buying-back-stolen-cultural-property-in-contexts-of-political-violence/30C21AB46D8EAE50DFCE74D8512A4CAB

Conflict antiquities’ rescue or ransom: The cost of buying back stolen cultural property in contexts of political violence - Volume 28 Issue 1

15/09/2021

It was with great sadness that we received news of the death of our friend, colleague, and Editorial Board and International Cultural Property Society member, Professor Folarin Shyllon in January 2021.

We were the beneficiaries of his intellectual rigor and curiosity, lengthy service to the law and protection of cultural heritage, and immense generosity. . . .

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/folarin-shyllon-19402021/49AA9DC36DFA938FD0A3F05BED272AD7

Folarin Shyllon (1940–2021) - Volume 28 Issue 1

14/09/2021

The International Cultural Property Society and the Art-Law Centre of the University of Geneva has established an annual fellowship, in honour of Professors Pierre Lalive and John Henry Merryman, aimed at the promotion and development of emerging scholars in the field of international cultural heritage law and related fields such as art law and museum law.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/2021-pierre-lalive-and-john-henry-merryman-fellowship-in-art-and-cultural-heritage-law/53B9FFAD0A81D3EA18403A5753DA5239

2021 Pierre Lalive and John Henry Merryman Fellowship in art and cultural heritage law - Volume 28 Issue 1

14/09/2021

Volume 28 (2021) Number 1

14/09/2021

Issue 1 of Volume 28 of the International Journal of Cultural Property has been published online.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/latest-issue

International Journal of Cultural Property

18/05/2021

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/issue/630D79634CE5C5E7A9B9D85AC3BAE81D

An issue of the Journal devoted to pandemics and culture has just been posted online—with contributions examining the role of culture, the Black Lives Matter movement, the African Union, and other perspectives.

29/03/2021

As reported last week, the Head of an Oba, one of the ‘Benin Bronzes’, will soon return to the Nigerian Federal Republic.

The repatriation from the University of Aberdeen is unconditional and will transfer all decision-making to Nigeria. Once the Head of an Oba returns, it will at first be housed by the National Museum, Benin City.

It will later be displayed in the new Edo Museum of West African Art, to be built in Benin City. Including exhibition galleries and a research centre, the museum will showcase the rich cultural heritage of the ancient kingdom of Edo.

The Museum is designed by Sir David Adjaye, award-winning Ghanian-British architect. It is linked to an archaeology project led by the Legacy Restoration Trust (LRT), a Nigerian not-for-profit organisation.

You can learn more about the Edo Museum of West African Art here https://bit.ly/3uadvQl
and from Adjaye Associates here https://bit.ly/3sxR5bd

13/08/2020

What will happen to the art made during the Black Lives Matter movement?

http://illicitculturalproperty.com/what-will-happen-to-art-made-for-the-black-lives-matter-movement/

25/06/2020

Amidst the sad turmoil (for some) and the uncertainty (for all) brought on by the pandemic and the resultant lockdown, it is perhaps more forgivable than usual to miss an important anniversary. I a…

24/06/2020

Lauren Butterly and Lucas Lixinski have co-authored:

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Reform in Australia and the Dilemmas of Power

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/aboriginal-cultural-heritage-reform-in-australia-and-the-dilemmas-of-power/8DBA0DDA69695EBA78C9C2073C01D304

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Reform in Australia and the Dilemmas of Power - Volume 27 Issue 1 - Lauren Butterly, Lucas Lixinski

24/06/2020

Sarah Sargent has authored:

“Fractured Resemblances”: Contested Multinational Heritage and Soft Power

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/fractured-resemblances-contested-multinational-heritage-and-soft-power/EE1B724FE4CD6140A788220A172F7294

“Fractured Resemblances”: Contested Multinational Heritage and Soft Power - Volume 27 Issue 1 - Sarah Sargent

24/06/2020

Patricia Kennedy Grimsted has authored

A Goudstikker van Goyen in Gdańsk: A Case Study of N**i-Looted Art in Poland

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-cultural-property/article/goudstikker-van-goyen-in-gdansk-a-case-study-of-nazilooted-art-in-poland/475F94269B2C9EC44ECD58FE08608D5B

A Goudstikker van Goyen in Gdańsk: A Case Study of N**i-Looted Art in Poland - Volume 27 Issue 1 - Patricia Kennedy Grimsted