The Social History of Artefacts and the Law in Southeast Asia

The Social History of Artefacts and the Law in Southeast Asia

The loading of objects on a vessel, their loss, then physical discovery, recovery and subsequent movement, all
take place in a legal context. That context is not static and cannot be viewed entirely in hindsight from the now.
In unravelling the legal rights and interest to recovered objects the inter-temporal nature of the law requires
consideration and possible application. Moreover, irrespective of what law applies at any given time, this
intertemporal legal context reflects evolving values and is part of the object’s social history. This paper examines
this intertemporal nature of salvage law and other related laws as they might apply to objects recovered in
Southeast Asia over the past 40 years.

Craig Forrest

The Museum of Underwater Archaeology

2023

English

Forrest, Craig. 2023. “The social history of artefacts and the law in Southeast Asia.” Edited by Jennifer Craig, Jay Mok, and T. Kurt Knoerl. Proceedings of Fifth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Gwangju, The Republic of Korea, November 13-18 2023. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology. URL: https://apconf.omeka.net/exhibits/show/apconfproceedings/item/1913