Plural policing strategies in combating the illicit trade in cultural objects in Latin America

• In Event: Critical Perspectives on Policing and Criminalisation

Abstract

This presentation discusses plural policing efforts, the phenomenon of blurring boundaries between public, private, and community actors, in combating the illicit trade in cultural objects in Latin America. Recent decades have shown steady trafficking activities from this region, with far-reaching consequences for local communities and ecologies. The presentation focuses on three-interrelated levels: 1) the intraregional networks of policing, 2) the influence of policing agents on the regulation of illicit trade crimes, and 3) the blurring boundaries between these policing agents. This research departs from the supposition that the trade in cultural objects follows an origin-transit-destination structure, where origin countries are those rich in heritage (objects), such as in Latin America, and destination countries are exemplified by market countries and regions, like those in North America and Europe. Although market countries have increased formalised public policing efforts dedicated to heritage crimes, source countries often seem to lack dedicated law enforcement, relying on ad hoc plural policing structures. Theoretically, this project brings together perspectives from the fields of policing, colonialism, and critical heritage studies.

Author

• Naomi Oosterman, Erasmus University Rotterdam