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Underwater Cultural Heritage and Armed Conflict: An Analysis under the 1954 Hague Convention

Publication date: 18.12.2024

Santander Art and Culture Law Review, 2024, 2/2024 (10), pp. 135 - 154

https://doi.org/10.4467/2450050XSNR.24.016.20827

Authors

Elena Perez-Alvaro
ICOMOS International Committee on the Underwater Cultural Heritage
Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1594-6563 Orcid
Contact with author
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Titles

Underwater Cultural Heritage and Armed Conflict: An Analysis under the 1954 Hague Convention

Abstract

This article explores the protection of underwater cultural heritage under the umbrella of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict as a guide to analyse the impact of armed conflict on underwater cultural heritage. During direct confrontations, underwater cultural heritage faces threats, including deliberate destruction, looting for profit, and damage from military activities. In fact, underwater cultural heritage has been used and is still used in military strategy as a tool of hybrid warfare. Together, the 1954 Hague Convention and the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage offer a comprehensive approach to safeguarding cultural heritage, including underwater sites and artefacts, by combining legal frameworks, preservation strategies, and international cooperation efforts mitigating the devastating impact of warfare on underwater cultural heritage.

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Information

Information: Santander Art and Culture Law Review, 2024, 2/2024 (10), pp. 135 - 154

Article type: Original article

Titles:

English: Underwater Cultural Heritage and Armed Conflict: An Analysis under the 1954 Hague Convention

Authors

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1594-6563

Elena Perez-Alvaro
ICOMOS International Committee on the Underwater Cultural Heritage
Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1594-6563 Orcid
Contact with author
All publications →

ICOMOS International Committee on the Underwater Cultural Heritage

Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR)

Published at: 18.12.2024

Article status: Open

Licence: CC BY  licence icon

Percentage share of authors:

Elena Perez-Alvaro (Author) - 100%

Information about author:

Dr Elena Perez-Alvaro is a Lecturer in Cultural and Natural Heritage at UNIR University, Spain, and a Research Associate at Nelson Mandela University, South Africa. She is also an Expert Member of the ICOMOS International Committee on the Underwater Cultural Heritage, an Expert Member of the ICOMOS International Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage, and part of the ICOMOS Sustainable Development Goals Working Group. Dr Perez-Alvaro is also Chair of the Underwater Heritage Working Group of UK Blue Shield. Her main research is a holistic multidisciplinary study creating links between aspects of heritage, identity, and society, and the past, present, and the future. She is the author of several articles in specialized journals and books in diverse fields. She has also published with Routledge the monograph Underwater Cultural Heritage: Ethical Concepts and Practical Challenges.

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