Seminar: The Role of Human Rights Law in International Responses to Cultural Appropriation

The Maastricht Centre for Human Rights (MCHR), in collaboration with the Centre for Heritage and Art Law, Maastricht (CHARM), is pleased to host a seminar by Dr Ayla do Vale Alves of Adelaide University, entitled “The Role of Human Rights Law in International Responses to Cultural Appropriation.”

The seminar will examine how international human rights law can contribute to legal responses to cultural appropriation. While cultural heritage law and intellectual property law have traditionally played an important role in this field, they may leave gaps for affected communities, particularly Indigenous peoples and other marginalised source communities.

Dr do Vale Alves will explore how human rights law can help reframe cultural appropriation as a matter of cultural identity, property, and integrity, and how this perspective may support stronger and more inclusive mechanisms for restoring community control over cultural heritage. The seminar will be followed by a Q&A.