[MSN] To own or not to own: Is that the question?

[MSN]

“Who Owns the Past?” “Who Owns Antiquity?” “Who Owns Culture?” “Who  
Owns Art?” “Who Owns Objects?” “Who Owns History?” A flurry of  
similar-sounding questions has been circulating in the media for some  
time now. Varying on the same theme, they are used as headlines in an  
array of formats: books, articles, lectures, panel discussions, etc.

While these questions raise some interesting points, we would like to  
ask some of our own:

1. “Who Owns __?” advocates imply: The right to ownership and  
possession of artifacts trumps all other considerations.

SAFECORNER asks: By focusing on ownership, are we neglecting the  
single most important point: the discovery of our yet-unknown past  
through protection, and the proper excavation of, ancient sites and  
tombs and burial grounds? What about the "past" / "antiquity" /  
"culture" / "art" / "objects" / "history" that remains underground?  
What part do these arguments have in stemming the plunder of cultural  
heritage caused by looting and the illicit antiquities trade?

Read the full post on the SAFE blog SAFECORNER: http:// 
safecorner.savingantiquities.org as well as other posts, such as:


Five Years On, SAFE Remembers the Looting of the Iraq Museum

Antiquities Under Siege: Cultural Heritage Protection after the Iraq War

Are Strings Attached?

The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Iraq

Certificates for Antiquities

What happened to the China MOU request?

SAFECORNER is the online community of the non-profit organization  
SAFE/Saving Antiquities for Everyone, where dialogs begin, ideas  
exchange, and concrete solutions emerge concerning looting and the  
illicit antiquities trade. Contributors to SAFECORNER are members of  
the SAFE community and other experts and opinion leaders in the field  
of cultural heritage protection. If you would like to add a relevant  
comment, please send it to safecorner at savingantiquities.org. We  
welcome your comments and responses.