Repatriation of sacred indigenous cultural heritage and the law – Lessons from the United States and Canada
The thesis focusses on sacred cultural heritage that was taken from indigenous communities during colonialism and remains in museum collections both in Europe and abroad. Such heritage has been the frequent subject of claims by indigenous communities who seek the return of the heritage that was taken in the past.
Tünsmeyer examines how the legal aspects of such returns can be structured and which elements need to be taken into account to align these returns with contemporary human rights law. Both in Canada and in the United States laws have been passed that affect or even regulate such returns. The central question of the research therefore considers how future returns, including those from European collections, could be structured to reflect both the lessons learned in the US and Canada and current human rights standards.
The dissertation offers guidelines and models to help museums and policymakers in the drafting of laws or policies that structure return mechanisms.
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Professor Anouk Bollen-Vandenboorn appointed Knight in the Order of the Crown
Prof. Dr Anouk Bollen-Vandenboorn, Director of the Institute for Transnational and Euregional cross border cooperation and Mobility (ITEM) at the Faculty of Law, Maastricht University, was appointed Knight in the Order of the Crown on 3 July, during a formal ceremony at the Belgian Embassy in The...
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ITEM continues: Advancing cross-border cooperation and impact
ITEM enters new phase within UM Faculty of Law from 2025.
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IGIR seminar series
The IGIR seminar series will be launched after the Summer break. Our aim is to offer a nice and friendly environment for staff members and visiting researchers to present their ongoing research.
