New book: Global Perspectives on Cultural Property Crime Edited By Michelle D. Fabiani, Kate Melody Burmon, Saskia Hufnagel 2022/ 2023 ISBN 9780367823801 272 Pages 20 B/W Illustrations
Available on Taylor & Francis eBooks
Book DescriptionThe definition of "cultural property crime" here seems very narrow (and is the US-concocted one). It concentrates on objects, and largely revolves around the issue of provenance and related issues (due diligence, handling of undocumented objects, the antiquities market, financing crime and violence through selling antiquities - I bet "repatriation" is in there too).*
This book provides transnational insight into cultural property crimes and the cutting-edge work tackling issues ranging from currency crimes to innovative research methods.
The volume brings together authors from a number of fields to address contemporary issues and advances in the fight against cultural property crime. It combines the perspectives of law enforcement officials, researchers, journalists, lawyers, and scholars, with specialities in the disciplines of criminology, law, archaeology, museum studies, political science, and economics, from countries all around the globe. This allows for a more comprehensive examination of issues facing these professionals and highlights similarities between the challenges encountered in different disciplines as well as in diverse locations. It seeks to disseminate the most current work in this field from a broad array of viewpoints in order to further facilitate an exchange of ideas and lay the groundwork to inspire future collaborations. Most significantly, it provides more specific suggestions for moving forward that could help assist stakeholders to connect and work directly with each other, despite international borders and discipline-related boundaries.
The book will be a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers working in the area of cultural property crime.
Table of Contents
Part 1: CHALLENGES OF OWNERSHIP: PAST AND PRESENT
Introduction Michelle D. Fabiani
Different strokes for different folks: A re-evaluation of the ontology of provenance research towards a more responsive research discipline Gareth Fletcher
Whose Duty is it Anyway? On the Burden of Proof in Applying Due Diligence Standards When Dealing with Cultural Property Paul Fabel, Louisa Kimmig
The Cycle of Good Faith: Evaluating the Status of Due Diligence in the Art Market Aubrey Catrone
What Auction Catalogue Analysis Cannot Tell Us About the Market: Sotheby’s 2013 Sale of Pre-Columbian Objects from the Barbier-Mueller Collection Donna Yates
Part 2: THE INTERSECTION OF ART, ANTIQUITIES, AND CURRENCY CRIMES
Money Laundering and Art – Correlations of Crime Financing and Money Laundering Cost to Criminal Decision Making Katharina Stoll
Protection of Cultural Objects Against Money Laundering: Contributions of Rational Choice Theory Diogo Machado, Leila Ollaik
More than Antiquities Trafficking: The Issue is Antiquities Laundering Anna Mosna
Part 3: INNOVATIVE RESEARCH AND CHALLENGES IN THE FIELD
Radiocarbon Dating Method and the Protection of Cultural Heritage Irka Hajdas
The Space Between: Spatial Patterns of Archaeological Looting Attempts and Conflict in Lower Egypt Michelle D. Fabiani
"Do you expect us to throw it all away?" - Thirty Years of Looted Iraqi Cuneiform Archives Luise Loges
Challenges to Study: Difficulties Arising in Studying Fine Art Theft Kate Melody Burmon
Part 4: POLICING AND POLICY
Offences Relating to ‘Dealing’ in Cultural Property: The UK Approach Emily Gould
Metal Detecting in England and Wales: A Transatlantic Problem Adam Daubney
Countering Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property in Ukraine Volodymyr Hulkevych
Connecting the Dots: Models of Public-Private Cooperation in Cultural Property Crime Policing Richard van Herzeele
ISIS, Blood Antiquities, and the International Fight against Terrorism Financing Costanza Musu
Conclusion Kate Melody Burmon
The major issue that concerns me, the destruction of the archaeological evidence by collection-driven activities seems not to be given all that much prominence (though see Fabiani, Daubney) (Herzeele?). Because in most countries all digging up of archaeological artefacts and pocketing them is a cultural property crime. In those countries that do not have blanket legislation, there are still circumstances where to do so is against the law... and that lies at the basis of all the due diligence and collection histories issues that seem to be this book's main focus, but there seems to be nothing devoted to setting out the fundamental 'from the ground' issues in anything like a global perspective.
As for the archaeology, it is a shame that somebody has first to leave the UK's public-funded Portable Antiquities Scheme to make a real contribution to discussions on collection-driven exploitation of the archaeological record as a "problem". The PAS is doing us all a disfavour that it is not taking and writing on the wider view and informing the public on the whole range of issues involved in what it calls (after its partnering collectors) "metal detecting", rather than their facadist wishy-washiness about "citizen archaeologists".**
Unless Herzeele covers it, there seems to be no discrete text here devoted to the issue given prominence in several international documents (themselves in need of updating) of actively informing the public about the damaging effects of collection-driven exploitation (artefact hunting and collecting as a whole, not just 'the trade') and why this should be a matter of concern. Some of these are set out in this book, but will Roger's mum down the shop, or Trader Joe the heating engineer be reading that alongside the sports news in his paper?
One wonders looking at books like these how global are the "perspectives" they gather and where does all this scattergun writing lead? I will try asnd get the book to see what the editors say.
* Why are the chapters by prosecutor Hulkevych and Costanza Musu not in Part two?
** There is also little chance that UK's "dirt archaeologists" are going to take problem more seriously when discussion fragmented as single enlightened articles (as I am sure Adam Daubney's text is) setting UK "metal detecting" in a wider context published in collected vols each costing £100.
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