A visionary idea and a pragmatic tool: making a case for a database listing resolutions to cultural property claims

paper presented for ICME - International Committee for Museums and Collections of Ethnography

Let me begin by thanking Harrie Leyten and Per Rekdal, who initially encouraged me to develop my ideas. Special thanks to Per, who invited me to speak in front of such a distinguished audience here in Seoul. I would also like to acknowledge Daniel Papuga for his patience with me in the publication process of my article Repatriation between Rhetoric and Reality, which contents are the subject of my talk here today. But for those of you, who haven't had the chance to read the September issue of ICME News, let me begin by briefly recapping.

In the latest issue of ICME News, I responded to Harrie's call for a reinvigorated debate about the future of ICME's Working Group on Repatriation. I did this by way of offering the idea to build a searchable database listing already resolved cases of cultural property claims. I outlined the rationale and some of the more technical and practical issues involved in such an undertaking. However, instead of reiterating this piece, which is accessible to everyone on the web, I will do three things in the following 18 minutes: 1) I will contextualize the idea by reviewing the modern history of cultural property issues; 2) I will summarize the rationale and substance of the project and; 3) I will wrap up by relating this project to Professor Phelan's proposal here in Seoul about setting up an international arbitration panel to adjudicate in cultural property disputes.