An unusual cartography:: theoretical migrations of heritage

An unusual cartography:: theoretical migrations of heritage

Journal article

1 online resource

Cultural objects and cultural expressions have an uneasy relationship with property—both physical and intellectual. How far can culture be ‘owned’? Where are those boundaries drawn, and who decides? The intangible values of cultural output make the answers to these questions complex and elusive. The unsatisfactory nature of the existing systems determining the place of (intellectual) property in the heritage field can be illustrated with reference to two types of cultural creation: tangible objects and intangible expressions. Specifically, this paper examines how objects might be deemed ‘national treasures’ and made property of the State, and how intangible expressions might similarly shift from commonplace routines to cultural heritage. It will map the property (or property-like) status of these cultural productions at different stages of their existence, arguing that at these different stages, objects and expressions give rise to different propertised states. This paper seeks to provide a conceptual cartography of this change in status. It engages with theories drawn from property, intellectual property, and heritage studies to map the bounds of personal, collective, and intellectual property. It will seek to chart these migrations, naming them and explaining them, to better wrangle these transformations in terms that can be more easily understood.

Crossref

Intellectual Property Quarterly ; I.P.Q. 2025, 1, 1-29

[New York, NY] : Thomson Reuters, 2025.

English

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External Online Journals > Intellectual Property Quarterly