The Legal Pluralism of Heritage: Restitution and the Normative Knowledge of Communities of Origin

The Legal Pluralism of Heritage: Restitution and the Normative Knowledge of Communities of Origin explores one of the most urgent debates in international cultural heritage law today: the role of Indigenous laws and local norms about material culture in the restitution process.

In an era of rising claims for restitution, this book examines how diverse legal and normative orders engage with communities seeking the return of cultural objects held in museums, private collections, and institutions worldwide. It argues that restitution processes need to consider the normative knowledge of communities of origin. Moving beyond conventional legal analysis, the volume includes theoretical interventions and case studies from (international) law, anthropology, archaeology, history, museum studies, art history and Indigenous legal studies, and from all five continents. It offers a new framework for understanding restitution not merely as a legal process, but as a dialogue between legal systems and the knowledge traditions of the communities to whom heritage belongs.

Timely and thought-provoking, this book is an essential resource for researchers and practitioners in international law, legal history, historical anthropology, and cultural heritage studies.