Intersections in Public International Law for Protecting Cultural Heritage LawPast, Present, and Future

Abstract

Abstract In this introductory chapter, the volume editors observe that despite the increasing recognition of international cultural heritage law as an emerging field, this body of law is comprised largely of a collection of rules developed at and within different intersections in public international law. The chapter outlines how rules for protecting tangible and intangible cultural heritage developed, for example, in the law of armed conflict, international criminal law, international human rights law, and the law of the sea, as well as how States, international organizations, international tribunals, and other actors have contributed to this development. The chapter argues that as a result of this evolutionary background, the scope of international law governing the recognition, protection, or return of cultural heritage law can be illuminated by studying cultural heritage regimes within the context of the intersections in which they have developed.