Honors Theses

Date of Award

2007

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Sociology and Anthropology

First Advisor

Aileen Ajootian

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Cultural property has recently become an important issue in the international community. Major museums across the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum, have been involved in litigation or settled out of court with foreign governments who claim objects in their museums' collections were looted or stolen from native soil. The topic of repatriation occupies one aspect of the thesis. Another section is concern with the philosophical framework within which people may think about cultural property and its implications, as well as about vital issues in ownership. The major part of the thesis is dedicated to the modern controversies surrounding the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Athens and the excavated material from Machu Picchu, currently at Yale. I briefly sketch the history of each place and then investigate the excavations made and the laws in force at the time. Finally, I attempt to adjudicate each issue by offering solutions that would be beneficial to all parties involved. An appendix provides further examples of current topics in the field. VI

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