Archaeology and human rights

How aware are archaeologists of the potential impact on their profession of increasing emphasis in public discourse on human rights, individual property rights and cultural rights? There has been an intense concentration on the concept of human rights since World War II; promoting the idea and refining the concept. One area still unclear is the right to property as an individual right. Is it a human right and, if so, what does it encompass? There are no absolute answers to these questions. They depend on the time and the place. In particular, the development of cultural rights, with its emphasis on the public interest, will be significant. Individual property rights already circumscribe the conduct of archaeology in many countries. Cultural rights will have a further impact on such aspects as the conduct of fieldwork, publication and the use made of archaeological results. These rights are now under development. But archaeology figures little in the discussions and that will be the state of things unless archaeologists themselves insist on being heard. This will involve organization, both nationally and internationally, on a permanent basis to monitor and influence those in a position of power

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