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Crime in the Art and Antiquities World

Illegal Trafficking in Cultural Property

  • Gives overview of legal texts and treaties dealing with art and crime

  • Contains examples of concrete cases of illegal art trafficking

  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

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Table of contents (11 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xii
  2. Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Heritage: The Criminological Perspective

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 49-49
    1. Introduction

      • Stefano Manacorda, Duncan Chappell
      Pages 1-15
  3. Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Heritage: The Criminological Perspective

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 49-49
    2. Overview of Crimes and Antiquities

      • Nikos Passas, Blythe Bowman Proulx
      Pages 51-67
  4. Prevention and Control

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 173-173
  5. Back Matter

    Pages 193-453

About this book

The theft, trafficking, and falsification of cultural property and cultural heritage objects are crimes of a particularly complex nature, which often have international ramifications and significant economic consequences. Organized criminal groups of various types and origins are involved in these illegal acts.

The book Crime in the Art and Antiquities World has contributions both from researchers specializing in the illegal trafficking of art, and representatives of international institutions involved with prevention and detection of cultural property-related crimes, such as Interpol and UNESCO.

This work is a unique and useful reference for scholars and private and public bodies alike.

This innovative volume also includes an Appendix of the existing legal texts, i.e. international treaties, conventions, and resolutions, which have not previously been available in a single volume.

As anyone who has undertaken research or study relating to the protection of cultural heritage discovers one of the frustrations encountered is the absence of ready access to the multi- various international instruments which exist in the field. Since the end of the Second World War these instruments have proliferated, first in response to increasing recognition of the need for concerted multinational action to give better protection to cultural property during armed conflict as well as ensuring the repatriation of cultural property looted during such conflict. Thus the international community agreed in 1954 upon a Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

That Convention, typically referred to as the Hague Convention of 1954, is now to be found reproduced in the Appendix to this book (Appendix I) together with 25 other important and diverse documents that we believe represent a core of the essential international sources of reference in this subject area. In presenting these documents in one place we hope that readers will now experience less frustration while having the benefit of supplementing their understanding and interpretation of the various instruments by referring to individual chapters in the book dealing with a particular issue or topic. For example, Chapter 9 by Mathew Bogdanos provides some specific and at times rather depressing descriptions of the application in the field of the Hague Convention 1954, and its Protocols (Appendices II and III), to the armed conflict in Iraq. Reference may also be had to the resolution of the UN Security Council in May 2003 (Appendix VI) urging Member States to take appropriate steps to facilitate the safe return of looted Iraqi cultural property taken from the Iraq National Museum, the National Library and other locations in Iraq. Despite such pleas the international antiquities market seems to have continued to trade such looted property in a largely unfettered manner, as demonstrated by Neil Brodie in Chapter 7.

Fittingly, as referred to in the Preface to this book, the last document contained in the Appendix (Appendix 26) is the “Charter of Courmayeur”, formulated at a ground breaking international workshop on the protection of cultural property conducted by the International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council (ISPAC) to the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Program in Courmayeur, Italy, in June 1992. The Charter makes mention of many of the instruments contained in the Appendix while also foreshadowing many of the developments which have taken place in the ensuing two decades designed to combat illicit trafficking in cultural property through international collaboration and action in the arena of crime prevention and criminal justice.

Reviews

From the reviews:

“By offering this book, Manacorda and Chappell make accessible a synopsis of contemporary arguments, introduce readers to the primary scholars in this field, and assemble all relevant international instruments and significant documents associated with efforts to protect cultural property. Everyone working to combat transnational crime should read this volume. It will be of particular interest to scholars investigating the illicit nature of market systems.” (Gisela Bichler, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books, March, 2012)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Difesa Sociale, Centro Nazionale di Prevenzione e, Milano, Italy

    Stefano Manacorda

  • , Faculty of Law, University of Australia, Sydney, Australia

    Duncan Chappell

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Crime in the Art and Antiquities World

  • Book Subtitle: Illegal Trafficking in Cultural Property

  • Editors: Stefano Manacorda, Duncan Chappell

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7946-9

  • Publisher: Springer New York, NY

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag New York 2011

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4419-7945-2Published: 08 March 2011

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4899-9166-9Published: 26 November 2014

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-4419-7946-9Published: 26 February 2011

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: X, 454

  • Topics: Criminology and Criminal Justice, general, Arts, Law, general, Anthropology

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 189.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access