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030235 KU The Parthenon Marbles: Art Restitution and International Law (2023S)

4.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 3 - Rechtswissenschaften
Continuous assessment of course work

Gastprofessorin: Aikaterini Titi
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 40 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

A museum visit to discuss repatriation will be organised on 2 May (maximum attendance for the museum visit is limited to 15 students)

  • Tuesday 02.05. 09:00 - 15:00 Seminarraum SEM63 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum 6.OG
  • Tuesday 02.05. 15:00 - 17:00 Ort in u:find Details
  • Wednesday 03.05. 09:00 - 16:00 Seminarraum SEM42 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 4.OG
  • Thursday 04.05. 09:00 - 16:00 Seminarraum SEM63 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum 6.OG
  • Friday 05.05. 09:00 - 16:00 Seminarraum SEM63 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum 6.OG

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This course will focus on the legal issues surrounding the continued retention of the Parthenon Marbles in the British Museum examined against the international legal framework for the protection of cultural heritage. The course will also examine contemporary international law as it applies to the return and restitution of cultural heritage and the changing attitudes of the key stakeholders (especially states and museums). We will also analyse the ethical principles that have been used to support the pro- and the anti-repatriation sides and consider the practical issues involved in the restitution of cultural heritage.

The topics that the course will cover include:
The historical and factual context of the removal of the Parthenon marbles and their acquisition by the UK government
The custody of the marbles in the British Museum
Legal and ethical considerations in the ownership and custody of cultural heritage
The role of UNESCO in the repatriation of cultural heritage
The international conventions on the repatriation of illicitly removed, trafficked or stolen, cultural property
Provenance research and due diligence in the acquisition of cultural heritage
Dispute resolution mechanisms available for the restitution of cultural heritage
The ethics of museum collecting
The fear of the emptying of ‘world’ museums
The future of repatriation claims

Case-studies beyond the Parthenon marbles, including
- The case of Nazi looted art
- The case of African art in Western museums
- Cultural objects, human remains, and indigenous communities

Assessment and permitted materials

Either a computer-typed open book exam with essay questions (up to 20 registered students) or an online quiz (more than 20 registered students)

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

None. This course is open to all students with an interest in international law and art restitution.

Examination topics

Either a computer-typed open book exam with essay questions (up to 20 registered students) or an online quiz (more than 20 registered students)

Reading list

On the Parthenon marbles
In favour of repatriation
• Catharine Titi, The Parthenon Marbles and International Law (Springer 2023) (expected publication between March and June 2023)
• Christopher Hitchens, The Parthenon Marbles: The Case for Reunification (2008)
• Derek Fincham, ‘The Parthenon Sculptures and Cultural Justice’ (2013) 23 Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal 943
• David Rudenstine, ‘Trophies for the Empire: The Epic Dispute Between Greece and England Over the Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum’ (2021) 39 Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal 377
Against repatriation
• John Henry Merryman, ‘Thinking about the Elgin Marbles’ (1985) 83 (8) Michigan Law Review 1881
• British Museum trustees, ‘The Parthenon Sculptures: The Trustees' statement’ https://www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/contested-objects-collection/parthenon-sculptures/parthenon

On repatriation more generally
• Jeanette Greenfield, The Return of Cultural Treasures (3rd edn, Cambridge University Press 2007)
• Tullio Scovazzi, ‘Diviser c’est détruire: Ethical Principles and Legal Rules in the Field of Return of Cultural Property’ (2011) 94 (2) Rivista di diritto internazionale 341
• John Henry Merryman, ‘Two Ways of Thinking about Cultural Property’ (1986) 80 American Journal of International Law 831

On the settlement of international disputes
• John Merrills and Eric de Brabandere, Merrills’ International Dispute Settlement (Cambridge University Press 2022)
• John G Collier and Vaughan Lowe, The Settlement of Disputes in International Law (Oxford University Press 1999)
• Hugh Thirlway, The International Court of Justice (Oxford University Press 2016)
• Francesco Francioni and James Gordley (eds), Enforcing International Cultural Heritage Law (Oxford University Press 2013)

Online sources
• Numerous newspaper articles discussing the repatriation of cultural property!
• Video: John Oliver, Last Week Tonight, “Museums”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJPLiT1kCSM
• Op ed: Catharine Titi, Sorry, British Museum, a loan of the Parthenon marbles is not a repatriation (February 2023): https://theconversation.com/debate-sorry-british-museum-a-loan-of-the-parthenon-marbles-is-not-a-repatriation-199468
• UNESCO ICPRCP: https://www.unesco.org/en/node/66142?TSPD_101_R0=080713870fab20003a8b218be7be63de111dc79153cb8b910bcb4b0ceefeabac919384ba8b81287a080e98d903143000a4f0cab7931660a39d25ed80b09ad3ce643379c9d4b38c75ad01aa925f8564d077b0c9732f2248f7ff48d1fbf714b5ee

Additional readings
• Arthur Tompkins (ed), Provenance Research Today: Principles, Practice and Challenges (Lund Humphries Publishers 2021)
• Maxwell Lincoln Anderson, Antiquities: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press 2017)

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Th 11.05.2023 11:26