Policy And Law In Heritage Conservation

This book has been developed in association with the Cultural Heritage Department of the Council of Europe. It examines key themes and objectives for the protection of the architectural and archaeological heritage in a range of European countries. The analysis of individual countries and the group as a whole gives an assessment of how advanced current mechanisms are and the ongoing problems that remain to be managed in order to safeguard the 'common heritage'.

Indigenous peoples around the world are seeking greater control over tangible and intangible cultural heritage. In Canada, issues concerning repatriation and trade of material culture, heritage site protection, treatment of ancestral remains, and control over intangible heritage are governed by a complex legal and policy environment. This volume looks at the key features of Canadian, US, and international law influencing indigenous cultural heritage in Canada. Legal and extralegal avenues for reform are examined and opportunities and limits of existing frameworks are discussed. Is a radical shift in legal and political relations necessary for First Nations concerns to be meaningfully addressed?

This volume contains relevant and pressing issues in the law, policy, and the practice of art and cultural heritage protection.

This book provides a substantial contribution to understanding the international legal framework for the protection and conservation of cultural heritage. It offers a range of perspectives from well-regarded contributors from different parts of the world on the impact of law in heritage conservation. Through a holistic approach, the authors bring the reader into dialogue around the intersection between the humanities and legal sciences, demonstrating the reciprocity of interaction in programs and projects to enhance cultural heritage in the world. This edited volume compiles a selection of interesting reflections on the role of cultural diplomacy to address intolerances that often govern international relations, causing damage to human and cultural heritage. The main purpose of this collection of essays is to analyse the different cultural paradigms that intervene in the management of heritage, and to advocate for improvements in international laws and conventions to enable better cultural policies of individual nations for the protection of human rights. The editors submit that it is only through open dialogue between the humanities and jurisprudence that the international community will be able to better protect and value sovereignty, and promote cultural heritage for the development of a better world. This collection is relevant to scholars working in areas relating to law, management and policies of cultural heritage conservation and protection.

Theory without practice is empty, practice without theory is blind, to adapt a phrase from Immanuel Kant. The sentiment could not be truer of cultural heritage ethics. This intra-disciplinary book bridges the gap between theory and practice by bringing together a stellar cast of academics, activists, consultants, journalists, lawyers, and museum practitioners, each contributing their own expertise to the wider debate of what cultural heritage means in the twenty-first century. Cultural Heritage Ethics provides cutting-edge arguments built on case studies of cultural heritage and its management in a range of geographical and cultural contexts. Moreover, the volume feels the pulse of the debate on heritage ethics by discussing timely issues such as access, acquisition, archaeological practice, curatorship, education, ethnology, historiography, integrity, legislation, memory, museum management, ownership, preservation, protection, public trust, restitution, human rights, stewardship, and tourism. This volume is neither a textbook nor a manifesto for any particular approach to heritage ethics, but a snapshot of different positions and approaches that will inspire both thought and action. Cultural Heritage Ethics provides invaluable reading for students and teachers of philosophy of archaeology, history and moral philosophy – and for anyone interested in the theory and practice of cultural preservation.

The world’s cultural heritage is under threat from war, illicit trafficking, social and economic upheaval, unregulated excavation and neglect. Over a period of almost fifty years, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has adopted five international conventions that attempt to protect this cultural heritage. This book comprehensively and critically considers these five UNESCO cultural heritage conventions. The book looks at the conventions in the context of recent events that have exposed the dangers faced by cultural heritage, including the destruction of cultural heritage sites in Iraq and the looting of the Baghdad museum, the destruction the Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan, the salvage of artefacts from the RMS Titanic and the illicit excavation and trade in Chinese, Peruvian and Italian archaeological objects. As the only existing work to consider all five of the cultural heritage conventions adopted by UNESCO, the book acts as an introduction to this growing area of international law. However, the book does not merely describe the conventional principles and rules, but, critically evaluates the extent to which these international law principles and rules provide an effective and coherent international law framework for the protection of cultural heritage. It is suitable not only for those schooled in the law, but also for those who work with cultural heritage in all its manifestations seeking a broad but critical consideration of this important area of international law.