Cultural heritage, common goods and the law

This module will provide a legal reference point for students, which will be useful both for present study and future practice. For example, they will become familiar with the nomination process for World Heritage inscription; will know what the limits of the law are with respect to cultural heritage protection; and will be able to assess the possibilities of human rights and other legal frameworks.

No prerequisites are required.

1. Introduction
   •Aims and purpose of the module
   •Syllabus presentation
   •Student assessment
   •Bibliography and suggested sources

2. Background and historical context
   •Cultural heritage protection in history
   •Early international efforts
   •Impact of World War I and II
   •Hague Convention 1954

3. Art and restitution
   • Post-war efforts at returning cultural objects
   • UNESCO Convention 1970
   • UNIDROIT Convention 1995
   • Contentious cases (e.g. Elgin Marbles)

4. UNESCO World Heritage Convention and international law
   •Implementation, monitoring and compliance with 1972 Convention
   •Whose heritage? communities, the state and the general interest of humanity as a whole
   • How world heritage status affects international and domestic case law
   • Implications of ‘outstanding universal value’, authenticity and integrity.

5. Expanding heritage: other UNESCO
   Conventions
   •Underwater cultural heritage
   •Intangible heritage
   •Cultural diversity
   • European context

6. Cultural Heritage and Armed Conflict
   •Link btw destruction of cultural heritage and genocide
   •Recent criminal cases in ICTY and ICJ concerning the Bosnian Genocide
   •International criminal liability and ICC

7. Cultural Rights in Human Rights Law
   •Rights of minorities
   •Rights of indigenous peoples
   •Universal cultural rights
   • Synergies and antagonisms

8. International Environmental Law and Justice
   •Roots of environmental movement
   •UN conferences (Stockholm, Rio)
   • Main principles (inter-generational equity, sustainable development etc.)
   •Aarhus Convention 1998
   •Environmental cases before human rights courts
   • An international criminal court for the environment?

9. Environment in the European context
   •EU Law and Environmental Impact Assessment
   •European Landscape Convention
   • Public participation
   •Contentious cases an national level

10. Cultural Heritage in Comparative Law
    •The Italian model: a conservative approach and its followers
    •The “Nordic” model: a liberal approach and its followers
    •European Union, EU law and EU approach to cultural goods policies

11. Cultural heritage and Commons
    •Heritage and the shifting conceptual boundaries of property
    •Forms of property and forms of goods (public , private, co- ownership, commons) and effective management of heritage
    •Actors and stakeholders: owners, users, individuals, communities
    •New technologies, intellectual property, copyright and creative commons

By the end of this module, the students will have an understanding of the role of law (especially international law) in the protection of cultural heritage and the environment. They will understand the legal context of their field of work and will be able to draw on what is relevant for their own research and/or practice.

articles:

• Blake, Janet, ‘On Defining the Cultural Heritage.’ 49 International and Comparative Law Quarterly 1, 2000, pp. 61-85. E-version
• Chechi, Alessandro, ‘Evaluating the Establishment of an International Cultural Heritage Court’ in Art Antiquity and Law, April 2013, p.33 ff. E-version
• Francioni, Francesco, ‘Human Rights in an Environmental Horizon’, 21 (1) European Journal of International Law, 2010. E-version
• Francioni, F., ‘Culture, Heritage and Human Rights: An Introduction’, in Cultural Human Rights, Leiden: M. Nijhoff, 2008, pp. 1-15.
• Francioni, F., ‘Beyond State Sovereignty: the Protection of Cultural Heritage as a Shared Interest of Humanity’, Michigan Journal of International Law, 25, (2004) 4, pp. 1209-1228. E-version
• Gearty, Conor, ‘Do Human Rights Help or Hinder Environmental Protection?’, 1 Journal of Human Rights and the Environment 7, 2010. E-version
• Groni, C. UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Day of General Discussion on the Right to Take Part in Cultural Life, (Article 15 (1)a of the Covenant), 9 May 2008. E/C.12/40/3. E-version
• Lenzerini F. and Francioni, F., ‘The Destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan and International Law’, The European Journal of International Law, 14: 2003, pp. 619-651. E-version
• Lixinski, Lucas, ‘Luci e Ombre: The Bright and Dark Sides of International Heritage Law’, 22 Italian Yearbook of International Law, 2012, p. 133-153. E-version
• Lixinski, Lucas, ‘Selecting Heritage: The Interplay of Art, Law and Politics’, 22(1) European Journal of International Law, 2011, pp. 81-100. E-version
• Merryman, John Henry, ‘Cultural Property Internationalism’, 12 International Journal of Cultural Property, 2005, 11.
• O’Keefe, Roger, ‘World Cultural Heritage: Obligations to the International Community as a Whole?’ 53 International and Comparative Law Quarterly 1, 2004, pp. 189-209. E-version
• Sax, J., ‘Heritage Preservation as Public Duty: The Abbe Grégoire and the Origins of an Idea’, 88 Michigan Law Review, 1990. E-version
• Schairer, S., ‘The Intersection of Human Rights and Cultural Property Issues under International Law’, The Italian Yearbook of International Law, Vol. XI (2001), pp. 59-99.
• Stamatopoulou, Elsa, ‘Monitoring Cultural Human Rights: The Claims of Culture on Human Rights and the Response of Cultural Rights,’ 34 Human Rights Quarterly, 2012, p. 1170. E-version
• Stavenhagen, R., “Cultural Rights: A Social Science Perspective” in A. Eide et al. (eds.), Economic, Social and Cultural Rights – A Textbook, Dordrecht: Martinus Nijhoff, 2001.
• Strecker, Amy, ‘The Human Dimension to Landscape Protection in International Law’, in F. Lenzerini and S. Borelli (eds.), Cultural Heritage, Cultural Rights, Cultural Diversity: New Developments in International Law, Leiden, Boston; M. Nijhoff, 2012, pp. 327-347.
• Strecker, Amy, “Pirates of the Mediterranean? The Case of the ‘Black Swan and its Implications for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage in the Region”, in A. Vrdoljak and F. Francioni (eds.), Illicit Traffic of Cultural Heritage in the Mediterranean, Florence; Academy of European Law, 2009, pp. 59-73.
• Vadi, Valentina, “Cultural Heritage and Investment Law: A Stormy Relationship?” International Journal of Cultural Property 15, 2008, pp. 1-24.

books:

• Forrest, Craig, International Law and the Protection of Cultural Heritage, New York: Routledge, 2010.
• Egoz, Shelley (ed.), The Right to Landscape, London: Ashgate, 2011.
• Eide, A., Krause, C and Rosas, A. (eds.), Economic, Social and Cultural Rights – A Textbook, Dordrecht: Martinus Nijhoff, 2001.
• Francioni, Francesco and Lenzerini, Federico (eds.), The 1972 World Heritage Convention: A Commentary. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
• Francioni, Francesco and Scheinin, Martin (eds.), Cultural Human Rights. Leiden; Boston: Martinus Nijhoff, 2008.
• Lenzerini, Federico, and S. Borelli (eds.), Cultural Heritage, Cultural Rights, Cultural Diversity: New Developments in International Law, Leiden, Boston: M. Nijhoff, 2012.
• Smith, Laurajane, The Uses of Heritage. London; New York: Routledge, 2006. E-version
• Lenzerini, F. and A. F. Vrdoljak (eds.), International Law for Common Goods: Normative Perspectives on Human Rights, Culture and Nature. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2013.

At the end of course, the students must submit a written assignment on a topic provided by the lecturer (from a choice of three). They may choose between a practical and theoretical topic but the assignment must involve substantial personal research effort and reflection.

Amy Strecker is Associate Professor at UCD Sutherland School of Law with expertise in cultural heritage law, environmental law and human rights. She holds a PhD in public international law from the European University Institute, for which she was awarded an Irish Rresearch Council doctoral scholarship. She is a leading expert on landscape and law with over 20 years’ experience researching landscape governance, and is a regular invited speaker at international fora including the Council of Europe and the UN. In 2019 she was awarded a major European Research Council grant for a research project on land, property and spatial [in]justice in international law (https://www.landlawandjustice.eu/).

Selected works:
I. BOOK
FEATURED
• Landscape Protection in International Law (Oxford University Press)
- 13 Sep 2018
- Co-authors: Strecker A

II. EDITED BOOK
FEATURED
• Heritage Destruction, Human Rights and International Law
- 1 Jan 2023
- Co-authors: Strecker A, Powderly J

III. CHAPTERS
FEATURED
• Landscape, Property, and Spatial Injustice in International Law
- 16 Sep 2024
- Landscape, Law and Justice - 20 Years (KVHAA)
- Co-authors: Strecker A (Author & Editor), Jones M (Editor), Setten G (Editor)
• Heritage Destruction, Human Rights and International Law in Times of Conflict and in Peace
- 22 Jul 2023
- Heritage Destruction, Human Rights and International Law (Brill Nijhoff)
- Co-authors: Strecker A, Powderly J

IV. JOURNAL ARTICLES
• Afterword: Heritage Destruction and the War on Ukraine
- 1 Jan 2023
- Heritage Destruction, Human Rights and International Law (423-454)
- Co-authors: Strecker A, Powderly J
- DOI: 10.1163/9789004434011_018
• Introduction: Heritage Destruction, Human Rights, and International Law in Times of Conflict and in Peace
- 1 Jan 2023
- Heritage Destruction, Human Rights and International Law (1-18)
- Co-authors: Strecker A, Powderly J
- DOI: 10.1163/9789004434011_002
• Caribbean collections in European Museums and the question of returns
- 1 Nov 2017
- International Journal of Cultural Property (24(4):451-477)
- Co-authors: Françozo M, Strecker A
- DOI: 10.1017/S0940739117000248
• Indigenous land rights and Caribbean reparations discourse
- 1 Sep 2017
- Leiden Journal of International Law (30(3):629-646)
- Co-authors: Strecker A
- DOI: 10.1017/S0922156517000073
• Revival, Recognition, Restitution: Indigenous Rights in the Eastern Caribbean
- 1 May 2016
- International Journal of Cultural Property (23(2):167-190)
- Co-authors: Strecker A
- DOI: 10.1017/S0940739116000096
• Indigenous Rights, Cultural Heritage and Restitution in the Caribbean
- 15 Jul 2015
- Human Rights Defender (24(2))
- Co-authors: Strecker A

V. OTHER EDITED BOOKS
• Landscape, Law and Spatial Justice - 20 Years
- 16 Sep 2024
- KVHAA
• Heritage and Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- 31 Oct 2017
- Leiden University Press
• Fernweh: Crossing Boundaries and Connecting People in Archaeological Heritage Management
- 2015
- Sidestone Press

VI. CHAPTERS (Continued)
• Land, Law and Justice
- 10 Dec 2024
- Nexus 1492. New World Encounters in a Globalizing World (Sidestone)
- Co-authors: Byer A, Strecker A, Hofman CL (Editor)
• Landscape, Law and Spatial Justice in the former British Empire
- 15 Oct 2024
- Legal Transfer and Legal Geography in the British Empire (Max Planck)
- Co-authors: Strecker A, Byer A, Coffey D (Editor)
• The 1972 World Heritage Convention, the 1970 Convention and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention
- 29 Feb 2024
- Oxford Commentary on the 1970 UNESCO and 1995 UNIDROIT Conventions (Oxford University Press)
- Co-authors: Strecker A
• Cultural Heritage Impact Assessments for Development Projects
- 1 Jan 2024
- The Routledge Handbook of Heritage and the Law (249-262)
- Co-authors: Strecker A
- DOI: 10.4324/9781003149392-20
• Global Landscape Governance on the 20th Anniversary of the European Landscape Convention
- 1 Jan 2024
- Environmental History (Netherlands) (15:17-26)
- Co-authors: Strecker A
- DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25713-1_3
• Article 1. Cultural Landscapes
- 17 Oct 2023
- The 1972 World Heritage Convention: A Commentary (Oxford University Press)
- Co-authors: Strecker A, Francioni F (Editor), Lenzerini F (Editor)
• Beyond Sovereignty: Tara, the M3, and Access to Justice for Cultural Landscape Destruction in Ireland
- 1 Jan 2023
- Heritage Destruction, Human Rights and International Law (348-375)
- Co-authors: Strecker A, Newman C
- DOI: 10.1163/9789004434011_015
• Land, Law and Justice
- 15 Mar 2021
- NEXUS1492. New World Encounters in a Globalizing World (Brill)
- Co-authors: Byer A, Strecker A, Hofman C (Editor)
• Landscapes as Cultural Heritage
- 1 Apr 2020
- Oxford Handbook on International Cultural Heritage Law (272-294)
- Oxford University Press
- Co-authors: Strecker A
• The 2003 UNESCO Intangible Heritage Convention
- 23 Jan 2020
- Oxford University Press

Selected works:
BOOK
FEATURED
• Landscape Protection in International Law (Oxford University Press)
 13 Sep 2018
 Co-authors: Strecker A

EDITED BOOK
FEATURED
• Heritage Destruction, Human Rights and International Law
 1 Jan 2023
 Co-authors: Strecker A, Powderly J

CHAPTERS
FEATURED
• Landscape, Property, and Spatial Injustice in International Law
 16 Sep 2024
 Landscape, Law and Justice - 20 Years (KVHAA)
 Co-authors: Strecker A (Author & Editor), Jones M (Editor), Setten G (Editor)
• Heritage Destruction, Human Rights and International Law in Times of Conflict and in Peace
 22 Jul 2023
 Heritage Destruction, Human Rights and International Law (Brill Nijhoff)
 Co-authors: Strecker A, Powderly J

JOURNAL ARTICLES
• Afterword: Heritage Destruction and the War on Ukraine
o 1 Jan 2023
o Heritage Destruction, Human Rights and International Law (423-454)
o Co-authors: Strecker A, Powderly J
o DOI: 10.1163/9789004434011_018
• Introduction: Heritage Destruction, Human Rights, and International Law in Times of Conflict and in Peace
o 1 Jan 2023
o Heritage Destruction, Human Rights and International Law (1-18)
o Co-authors: Strecker A, Powderly J
o DOI: 10.1163/9789004434011_002
• Caribbean collections in European Museums and the question of returns
o 1 Nov 2017
o International Journal of Cultural Property (24(4):451-477)
o Co-authors: Françozo M, Strecker A
o DOI: 10.1017/S0940739117000248
• Indigenous land rights and Caribbean reparations discourse
o 1 Sep 2017
o Leiden Journal of International Law (30(3):629-646)
o Co-authors: Strecker A
o DOI: 10.1017/S0922156517000073
• Revival, Recognition, Restitution: Indigenous Rights in the Eastern Caribbean
o 1 May 2016
o International Journal of Cultural Property (23(2):167-190)
o Co-authors: Strecker A
o DOI: 10.1017/S0940739116000096
• Indigenous Rights, Cultural Heritage and Restitution in the Caribbean
o 15 Jul 2015
o Human Rights Defender (24(2))
o Co-authors: Strecker A

OTHER EDITED BOOKS
• Landscape, Law and Spatial Justice - 20 Years
o 16 Sep 2024
o KVHAA
• Heritage and Rights of Indigenous Peoples
o 31 Oct 2017
o Leiden University Press
• Fernweh: Crossing Boundaries and Connecting People in Archaeological Heritage Management
o 2015
o Sidestone Press

CHAPTERS (Continued)
• Land, Law and Justice
o 10 Dec 2024
o Nexus 1492. New World Encounters in a Globalizing World (Sidestone)
o Co-authors: Byer A, Strecker A, Hofman CL (Editor)
• Landscape, Law and Spatial Justice in the former British Empire
o 15 Oct 2024
o Legal Transfer and Legal Geography in the British Empire (Max Planck)
o Co-authors: Strecker A, Byer A, Coffey D (Editor)
• The 1972 World Heritage Convention, the 1970 Convention and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention
o 29 Feb 2024
o Oxford Commentary on the 1970 UNESCO and 1995 UNIDROIT Conventions (Oxford University Press)
o Co-authors: Strecker A
• Cultural Heritage Impact Assessments for Development Projects
o 1 Jan 2024
o The Routledge Handbook of Heritage and the Law (249-262)
o Co-authors: Strecker A
o DOI: 10.4324/9781003149392-20
• Global Landscape Governance on the 20th Anniversary of the European Landscape Convention
o 1 Jan 2024
o Environmental History (Netherlands) (15:17-26)
o Co-authors: Strecker A
o DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25713-1_3
• Article 1. Cultural Landscapes
o 17 Oct 2023
o The 1972 World Heritage Convention: A Commentary (Oxford University Press)
o Co-authors: Strecker A, Francioni F (Editor), Lenzerini F (Editor)
• Beyond Sovereignty: Tara, the M3, and Access to Justice for Cultural Landscape Destruction in Ireland
o 1 Jan 2023
o Heritage Destruction, Human Rights and International Law (348-375)
o Co-authors: Strecker A, Newman C
o DOI: 10.1163/9789004434011_015
• Land, Law and Justice
o 15 Mar 2021
o NEXUS1492. New World Encounters in a Globalizing World (Brill)
o Co-authors: Byer A, Strecker A, Hofman C (Editor)
• Landscapes as Cultural Heritage
o 1 Apr 2020
o Oxford Handbook on International Cultural Heritage Law (272-294)
o Oxford University Press
o Co-authors: Strecker A
• The 2003 UNESCO Intangible Heritage Convention
o 23 Jan 2020
o Oxford University Press