Human Rights & Cultural Appropriation

Debates on safeguarding culture have long relied on cultural heritage and intellectual property law—the standard toolkits of international practice. Yet persistent blind spots still enable misappropriation and sideline the voices of those most affected. This lecture presents Human Rights Law (HRL) as a complementary anchor for the international order: a rights-based approach that clarifies duties, strengthens remedies, and gives communities meaningful say over their heritage. Focusing on the concrete harms of appropriation to cultural identity, cultural property, and cultural integrity, Ayla do Vale Alves shows how cultural rights supply normative instruments that heritage and IP regimes often lack. Drawing on developments in international fora—where Indigenous peoples and other marginalised groups have gained traction—she sketches a coherent framework that integrates HRL with existing regimes to reduce misuse and support community authority.

Moderation: Paul Gragl (Department of European Law)