Author: Rick Bonnie

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New publication: “Professional Ethics, Provenance, and Policies: A Survey of Dead Sea Scrolls Scholars”

We are happy to announce a new publication by two members of the WCOM working group.

Bonnie, Rick, Matthew Goff, Jutta Jokiranta, Suzie Thomas, and Shani Tzoref.  2020. “Professional Ethics, Provenance, and Policies: A Survey of Dead Sea Scrolls Scholars.” Dead Sea Discoveries 27 (2): 257–93. https://brill.com/view/journals/dsd/27/2/article-p257_4.xml.

In 2018, Rick Bonnie and Suzie Thomas were asked by a close Helsinki colleague, Jutta Jokiranta, to help developing an online survey to explore understandings of provenance issues among Dead Sea Scrolls scholars. Initially this was for a presentation in the  SBL International Meeting in Helsinki in the summer of 2018. Members of the audience back then, however, encouraged us to discuss the results in publication.

Abstract: “This article presents and discusses the results of an online survey undertaken in 2018, which targeted scholars of the Dead Sea Scrolls and associated research fields. Respondents were asked questions on the state of knowledge in the field regarding provenance issues and related ethics and policies. The goal of the survey was to establish the levels of awareness within Qumran and related studies concerning the role of the antiquities market, the potential accountability (or not) of scholars as perceived by respondents, as well as their general awareness of relevant policies and codes of conduct. The article discusses the key points that the survey raised, with the aim of offering textual scholars tools to assess their role in provenance issues.”

The article is currently behind paywall, but we are discussing the possibility of having it already open access. In any case, if you are interested you can contact Rick (rick.bonnie [at] helsinki.fi) for an offprint. Since Brill allows Green OA with a 12 month embargo period, the accepted (peer-reviewed) manuscript will be available to anyone in June 2021 from the University of Helsinki repository, https://helda.helsinki.fi.

 

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Nothing to do with us? New book sheds light on illicit trade of cultural objects

Cover image: Joonas Kinnunen

A new edited volume in the publication series of the Finnish Museums Association shows that the illicit trade in cultural objects is a topical issue also in Finland. It requires the attention of decision-makers, antique dealers, cultural heritage professionals and scholars alike. The civil war in Syria and the rise of terrorist organizations such as ISIS across the Middle East and North Africa have produced an ongoing humanitarian disaster. They have also created a wave of crimes involving ancient objects and significant cultural and historical sites. Media reporting has revealed this destruction of cultural heritage, as well as the looting and trafficking of antiquities. It is often assumed that these violations are confined to the countries of origin of cultural objects or to international centres of trade like Brussels, London and New York. However, illicit trafficking of antiquities and related distribution networks are a grave concern in the Nordic countries as well. Continue reading “Nothing to do with us? New book sheds light on illicit trade of cultural objects”

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New open access article published: “Researching Cultural Objects and Manuscripts in a Small Country”

We have just published a new article documenting the progress we made as a research project. The article sheds light on the position of Finland in conversations on the movement of unprovenanced cultural objects, within the national, the Nordic and the global contexts. Finland’s geopolitical position, as a “hard border” of the European Union neighbouring the Russian Federation, and its current legislative provisions, which do not include import regulations, mean that it has the potential to be significant in understanding the movement of cultural property at transnational levels. In particular, we outline a recent initiative started at the University of Helsinki to kick-start a national debate on ethical working with cultural objects and manuscripts. Continue reading “New open access article published: “Researching Cultural Objects and Manuscripts in a Small Country””

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Sanna Aro-Valjus speaking on WCOM at Nordic seminar in Oslo

On 12th and 13th December, the Nordic seminar on the legal aspects and experiences with culture crimes in the Nordic countries will take place in Oslo. The seminar hosted by the Norwegian Ministry of Culture in cooperation with the Faculty of Law of the University in Oslo. For more information on the event and its program, click here (in Norwegian).

WCOM project member Dr Sanna Aro-Valjus (University of Helsinki) will speak on Wednesday 13th December about our Finnish collaborative work to combat antiquities trade.

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That’s a wrap.. The #WCOMHelsinki Symposium was a success

On Monday and Tuesday, some 60-70 speakers and participants gathered together in the National Museum of Finland to discuss and debate issues regarding antiquities trafficking in Finland and the different responses from the museum, academic, and governmental communities. The symposium was a success and has given us much ideas for future research and collaboration… more about this later.

At the start of the symposium. Photo: Suzie Thomas.

If you weren’t able to join us in Helsinki, but still want to have a look at what’s been discussed there, then please check out the following Storify-post: https://storify.com/WCOM_Helsinki/wcomhelsinki-june-5-6-2017. We were happy to have a few ‘live-tweeters’ among our audience!

Our symposium also received some attention in the Finnish media, though not very much and with an emphasis on the looting and destruction of antiquities going on in Syria. See here the two news stories that have appeared:

MTV.fi: http://www.mtv.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/artikkeli/uutissuomalainen-lahi-idan-ryostettyja-muinaisesineita-todennakoisesti-myos-suomessa/6454898

YLE Svenska: https://svenska.yle.fi/artikel/2017/06/06/finland-genomfartsland-olagliga-konstskatter-i-vilken-utstrackning-ar-oklart

Finally, we would like to thank all the speakers and participants for making our symposium a success. We surely couldn’t have done this without you all!

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Fourth keynote speaker confirmed

We’re delighted to inform you that our fourth keynote speaker is confirmed. Dr. Magnus Olofsson is the Director of the Vasa Museum, Stockholm, Sweden. In addition to this, he has been also working as an advisor to the Swedish National Heritage Board.

Dr. Olofsson is a long-time ICOM Nord member and has been working on the subject of illicit trade for some time, such as lining out strategies for future work in Sweden, opening dialogue with antiquity dealers in the country, and launching a campaign to inform the public.

Dr. Olofsson’s participation in the WCOM symposium is generously funded through our partner, ICOM Finland.

 

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Save the Date: WCOM Symposium, June 5-6, 2017!

You are cordially invited to “save the date” for the upcoming symposium on “Working with Cultural Objects and Manuscripts” (WCOM:  https://blogs.helsinki.fi/culturalobjects/), part of a collaborative research project organized by six researchers from the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Theology at the University of Helsinki, and funded through the University of Helsinki Future Fund.

The symposium will be held Monday and Tuesday, June 5-6 at the National Museum, and will feature keynote addresses from:

– Dr. Neil Brodie, Senior Research Fellow, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford (archaeologist and researcher on illicit trade in cultural objects)
– Prof. Patty Gerstenblith, DePaul University, USA (specialist in international cultural heritage law)
– Prof. Christopher Rollston, George Washington University, USA (Northwest Semitic epigrapher and expert on forged inscriptions)

We will focus on Finland’s role in world research and trade markets, by discussing the ethics and practices of working with cultural objects  through the lenses of government, museums, and academic institutions.

Please see the attached flier (WCOM – Save the Date [PDF]), and stay tuned for (free) registration and the full program.  Inquiries may be directed to wcom.helsinki@outlook.com.