Criminogenic Entanglements with Cultural Heritage

Session Submission Type: Pre-arranged Panel

Abstract

Despite being a relatively new area of focus for criminologists, the illicit trade in cultural heritage is well-known to cause detrimental environmental, social, financial, and cultural harms. The illicit heritage trade is fueled by an insatiable demand for cultural objects from private and public collectors in wealthy market nations. Consequently, the trade is deeply entangled with various criminal and harmful behaviours. This panel will explore these criminogenic entanglements, both practically – through case studies from source and market contexts – as well as theoretically, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of the criminogenic nature of the (illicit) trade in cultural heritage and its far-reaching implications.

Subtopic

• Topic 1: Perspectives on Crime and Criminal Behavior / Critical Criminology

Chair

• Emiline Smith, University of Glasgow

Individual Presentations

• The evolving role of supplying looted antiquities through the use of technology: the Italian case - Marc Balcells, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

• Cultural objects as criminal currency: Patterns of fencing and laundering - Siv Runhovde, University of Oslo

• Lab-Grown Provenance: Exploring Evidentiary and Legal Frameworks of Science as Provenance for Cultural Heritage - Summer R. Austin, Institute of Archaeology, UCL

• Theoretical Frameworks for Researching Museum Curators and the Illicit Antiquities Trade - Claire Hanrahan, University of Glasgow