"The idea of cultural heritage as an 'international public good' can be traced back to the Preamble of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, according to which ""damage to cultural property belonging to any people whatsoever means damage to the cultural heritage of all mankind"". How this idea of cultural heritage as a global public good can be reconciled with the effective enforcement of protection norms is the subject of this study. Bringing together world experts in protecting cultural heritage, Enforcing International Cultural Heritage Law examines the different ways that cultural heritage property can be protected, including protection at the international level, enforcement in domestic courts, and the role of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
The book is divided into three sections. The first section assesses international law and analyses the interaction between international and domestic norms of public and private law. It discusses the different methods of international enforcement, the role of international and mixed criminal tribunals and courts, and the means for protecting cultural heritage in times of armed conflict. The second section addresses the role of national courts, discussing such topics as: barriers to domestic enforcement of international norms, the refusal to enforce foreign law, the difficulty of territorial boundaries in relation to underwater heritage, and the application of criminal sanctions by domestic courts. The final section of the book surveys alternatives to the legal enforcement of the norms protecting cultural heritage, including arbitration, soft law, and diplomacy."
Francesco Francioni and James Gordley: Introduction I. The International Legal Order 1: Francesco Francioni: Plurality and Interaction of Legal Orders in the Enforcement of Cultural Heritage Law 2: Ana Vrdoljak: Enforcement of Restitution of Cultural Heritage through Peace Agreements 3: Federico Lenzerini: The Role of International and Mixed Criminal Courts in the Enforcement of International Norms on the Protection of Cultural Heritage 4: Laurie Rush: Enforcement of International Cultural Property Norms in Time of War II. Enforcement by Domestic Courts 5: Riccardo Pavoni: Sovereign Immunity and the Enforcement of International Cultural Property Law 6: James Gordley: The Enforcement of Foreign Law: Reclaiming One Nation's Cultural Heritage in Another Nation's Courts 7: Patrizia Vigni: The Enforcement of Underwater Cultural Heritage Law by Domestic Courts 8: Patricia Gerstenblith: Enforcement of Criminal Sanctions in American State Courts III. Alternative Methods of Enforcement: Arbitration, Soft-Law, Diplomacy, and Settlements 9: Alessandro Chechi: Plurality and Coordination of Dispute Settlement Methods in the Field of Cultural Heritage 10: Derek Finchman: Social Norms and Illicit Cultural Heritage 11: Holly Flora: Practices of Collecting in American Museums 12: Wang Yunxia: Enforcing Import Restrictions of China's Cultural Objects: The 2009 Sino-US Memorandum of Understanding
Francesco Francioni is Emeritus Professor of International Law and Human Rights and Co-Director of the Academy of European Law at the European University Institute in Florence. He was the chairman of the World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO and the Italian delegate to many diplomatic conferences on the protection of cultural property. He has written and edited many books, including War by Contract (with Natalino Ronzitti, OUP, 2011) and The 1972 World Heritage Convention: A Commentary (OUP, 2008). James Gordley holds the W.R. Irby Chair of Law at Tulane University. He is the author of, inter alia, Foundations of Private Law (OUP, 2006).
Reviews for Enforcing International Cultural Heritage Law
I consider it a pleasure to see so many experts and their communal expertise brought together in this book by means of their respective contributions... Generally speaking, it is my opinion that this book gives an accurate state of affairs as well as a variety of perspectives. Nout van Woudenberg, NILR All chapters of the book provide and excellent and critical in depth analysis of existing international and national laws and State practice. The book evidences the difficulties relating to legal issues of cultural heritage. These laws have undergone a great development, and are still evolving. The book also presents a very useful historical perspective ... Authors presented very well researched and innovative approach to this issue; giving very honest accounts about the insufficient legal protection of cultural heritage, at the international and national levels. The book is a must for all international lawyers, not only experts in the area of cultural heritage. Although written by well-known specialists in this area, it is very accessible. Malgosia Fitzmaurice, German Yearbook of International Law,
