Focus 580; Giving Voice to the Past: Conserving and Protecting Our Cultural Heritage
Description:
This episode features a discussion with DePaul University law professor Patty Gerstenblith about protecting architectural and material culture. The pair discuss how the third biggest illegal international activity is the trade in smuggled art, the history of this trade, and how it impacts a nations cultural heritage. A caller asks about the precedent being set by museum collections and exhibitions that display artifacts taken during imperial raids. Gerstenblith then recounts stolen art during WWII and the varying laws that prevent the trade of stolen property. An additional caller asks about the Talibans destruction and stealing of statues in Afghanistan, which prompts Gerstenblith to discuss intergovernmental diplomacy between nations in order to return significant artifacts.
