Theme:
6. Contested Pasts & Presents
Session format:
Round table (without formal abstracts, only list of confirmed discussants / session co-organisers to be provided)
Title:
Roundtable Session of the EAA Community on the Illicit Trade in Cultural Material
Content:
Archaeological sites and artefacts are of course central to cultural identity formation. What has been shifting in recent years, for example in the decolonisation movement, is the emphasis on the ethical and universal Human Rights aspects of the creation of national archaeological narratives.
This roundtable session will concentrate discussion on the Principles of Archaeological Research section of the EAA’s revised Code and Principles. The topics covered in that section are: ethical practice in expert evaluation of archaeological material; publication of decontextualised archaeological artefacts; Indigenous heritage; restitution and repatriation of contested heritage objects; and the ethical treatment of archaeological human remains.
The area of interest of the EAA Community on the Illicit Trade in Cultural Material also includes Cultural Heritage Management, especially in relation to excavation and collecting of artefacts that are likely to be sold on the Art Market, intentional destruction of archaeological sites, looting in peacetime as well as during armed conflict, the social impact of Heritage Crime, and contrasting interests of economic development and archaeological site conservation.
The Roundtable discussion will focus on the following questions:
‘How does archaeological expertise support the antiquities market?’
‘To what extent can harm-evaluation principles developed in Human Rights cases be borrowed for the purposes of heritage crime?'
'Ethical treatment of archaeological human remains: How do we respect the dead?'
‘Preservation-by-record, collecting, and trade in cultural material: legal for now, but sustainable in the future?‘
‘Which socio-economic interests are associated with archaeological sites, and how do stakeholders suffer due to heritage crime?’
‘Ethics in practice: how do we successfully integrate professional collaboration, construction management planning, and international development-led archaeology?’
‘What does decolonisation look like from an Indigenous perspective?’
Keywords:
Antiquities Market, Collecting, Ethics, Heritage Management, Restitution, Decolonisation
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Evelyne Godfrey (United Kingdom) 1
Co-organisers:
Kiara Beaulieu (Belgium) 2
Leonora O’Brien (United Kingdom) 3
Affiliations:
1. Uffington Heritage Watch
2. University of Antwerp
3. AECOM
THIS SESSION CAN NOT BE SELECTED AT THIS MOMENT