Culture and Law: An Inescapable Encounter

Research at the intersection between culture and law is intrinsically interdisciplinary, as was the case with academia that explored cultural processes. Law and the social sciences have always been reluctant to employ notions as ambiguous as culture.

Beyond the resulting controversy, which stems from conflicting conceptions of culture (or cultures) and civilization (or civilizations), it can be agreed upon that within every society exists a cultural life of greater or lesser wealth, or of more or less development, orientated towards one or even several different areas. The concept of culture is markedly expansive and includes values, beliefs, languages, knowledge, the arts, traditions, and institutions, as well as the way of life through which a person or group express the meanings given to their existence and development.

Many topics of the intertwinement of culture and law are represented and developed in this volume. These include:

• The interconnectedness of food, cultural heritage and how they are influenced by international law and how connecting food to indigenous people, demonstrates the biodiversity of people.
• The two faces of private art collectors are outlined in this volume; partnerships between public and private collections are encouraged, but responsible collaboration requires trust. Public access should be supported without of course encouraging looting
• The idea that cultural exchange also promotes human rights is emphasized, and the role of legal trade and the compilation of legal collections are highlighted
• The relation between copyright and traditional knowledge is subjected to a thorough analysis. The determination and transfer of ownership or better the relationship to cultural artifacts/collections is among others the key problems
• The parallels between the protection of culture, on the one hand, and the protection of nature, on the other is also addressed. The link between the protection of culture and the protection of the environment is internationally recognized; however, the impact of climate change on culture was recognized very late, only in 2015 by the Paris Agreement, which, for the first time, explicitly referred to human rights. It becomes abundantly clear that climate change is a cultural problem, as outlined in this volume

The theoretical exercise of capturing culture from legal perspectives results in several conclusions, one of which is that culture is a collective good which is subject to law. This collection brings this idea to the fore across its varied and engaging contributions, making an important intervention on the interaction between culture and law.