The Idea of Place in the Protection of Cultural Heritage : In the Case of Claims against the Illicit Transaction of Antiquities from Turkey

Abstract

This paper explores what makes a particular way of handling cultural objects "appropriate," by focusing on the claims against the charge of unauthorised excavation and export of objects from Turkey for the international art market. It examines how the illegal trade in archaeological objects from Turkey is problematised by looking at ideas and concepts -such as those of protection, legality, illegality and place of origin- as mobilised by different groups in and outside Turkey to support their claims against such transactions. In particular, by demonstrating how these different groups articulate the significance of protecting cultural heritage, the paper reveals that the moralised language of protection works as a boundary concept to differentiate these claims for handling such objects.