International Law, Museums and the Return of Cultural Objects

Author: Ana Filipa Vrdoljak
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521841429
Published In: July 2006
Format: Hardback
Jurisdiction: International ? Disclaimer:
Countri(es) stated herein are used as reference only

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While the question of the return of cultural objects is by no means a new one, it has become the subject of increasingly intense debate in recent years. This important book explores the removal and the return of cultural objects from occupied communities during the last two centuries and analyses the concurrent evolution of international cultural heritage law.

The book focuses on the significant influence exerted by British, U.S. and Australian governments and museums on international law and museum policy in response to restitution claims. It shows that these claims, far from heralding the long-feared dissolution of museums and their collections, provide museums with a vital, new role in the process of self-determination and cultural identity. Compelling and thought-provoking throughout, this book is essential reading for archaeologists, international lawyers and all those involved in cultural resource management.

Addresses one of the most controversial and challenging questions facing museums today: that of the restitution of cultural property
Provides in-depth analysis of international and national schemes for the return of objects and the codification of restitution in international law
Sets out the positive and dynamic new role for museums in the process of cultural identification

Contents:: Introduction; 1. The state and national culture in the early nineteenth century; 2. International law, international exhibitions in the late nineteenth century; 3. Dismantling empires and post-World War I peace treaties; 4. Colonised peoples and the League of Nations; 5. Restitution in the mid-twentieth century; 6. Genocide, human rights and colonised peoples during the Cold War; 7. Decolonisation without restitution; 8. Indigenous peoples and restitution as a process; 9. Indigenous peoples, States and reconciliation; Conclusion.