Deconstructing Cultural Heritage as it applies to property

Abstract: John Hooker, ©2009 -------------UNESCO conventions on cultural heritage as it applies to property have neither defined “culture” nor “heritage”. Their content makes it clear that the individual is subservient to the state and is not free to determine his or her own culture and how that culture has been adopted from previous cultures. Instead, cultural property is considered to be state property. This nationalistic theory of culture is outdated and is not in keeping with the latest anthropological theories which show that any individual expresses many different “cultural frames” and that it would be difficult to find two individuals who shared exactly the same set of cultural frames. Nationality would only be one of these cultural frames, others would include identity with a region, town, profession, family, and any number of personal interests. These UNESCO conventions do not make any demands of responsibility to states to ensure that expressions of culture are protected within the states own borders. States are free to diminish or even destroy such expressions that might not support their own ideologies even when they can be seen to be of value to cultures outside of the state’s borders or to the world in general. The collecting and study of ancient coins can be seen to be a valid cultural frame in its own right and a healthy international trade in such objects enhances this activity. It is demonstrated that the presence of varied cultural frames among those who share the cultural frame of ancient numismatics will enhance their studies and lead to a greater number of new discoveries and methodologies. Nationalistic retentionist policies can only oppose this advancement.

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