The Politics of Illicit Trade of Cultural Property - A Review of the Literature

Cultural imperialism has existed for ages before antiquarians were able to trace a country’s heritage through historic objects. The amount of history lost to stolen archives, looted archaeological sites, and displaced objects has disrupted empirical evidence of the past, severely impacting the heritage, identity, and education of a country. Increased emphasis on historical literacy during the 21st century has heightened awareness surrounding illicit cultural trade, its environmental and cultural impact, as well as the shifting political dynamics at play. The US, whose museum institutions have largely benefited from the sale and exchange of stolen objects, began raiding private collections and archives holding stolen objects, leaving the world of art trade weary in the face of legal prosecution. In turn, the black market for cultural property has grown massively during the last 50 years, linked to large crime organizations and terrorism. This review examines existing research concerning history and global impact of illicit trade of cultural property, the political motives which both fuel and cease the movement of illicit trade, and highlight the important work of government and independent repatriation organizations. Concluding this review, I will provide new directions to take this research, emphasizing the importance of filling knowledge gaps within illicit cultural trade.