This talk examines the international law and practice of cultural heritage – focusing on Cambodia in light of its distinctive experience flowing from its rich ancient legacy and the extensive looting and destruction of cultural material during the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s.

It begins by reflecting on the development of heritage law and protection in Cambodia and the wider region. It considers the value of specialist education in this field, and the response it has received from students and institutions, particularly in Cambodia.

The lecture then introduces key aspects of the international cultural heritage law framework. Cambodia’s experience is unique: within the wider history of colonial collecting, archaeological removal, conflict, and the international trade in cultural objects, the country has utilised the international system well. It has also seen numerous returns of illicitly exported cultural objects. However, this has not been due to a single effective legal remedy, but a combination of provenance research, diplomatic negotiation, criminal investigation, reputational pressure, and cooperation between art market participants.

The Cambodian experience illustrates the possibilities of cultural property returns across ASEAN and the wider region, and the continuing limitations of an international system constrained by non-retroactivity, limitation periods, evidentiary difficulties, and unequal resources.

Aimed at lawyers, academics, policymakers, and cultural heritage professionals, the lecture invites attendees to consider what Cambodia’s experience can teach us about the future development of heritage law in Asia and beyond.

About the Speaker:

Ruth Whittaker is a British-Cambodian legal consultant and lecturer. She developed and teaches Cambodia’s first accredited undergraduate courses in International Cultural Property and Heritage Law. Ruth is also a consultant to the United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials (UNAKRT), supporting the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) during its residual phase.