Document Type
Senior Thesis
Publication Date
Spring 2026
Abstract
In this thesis, I examine and re-center the roles of archaeological artifacts and conceptions of ownership in global politics, drawing on debates about cultural heritage and diplomacy. This thesis will emphasize debates around ownership and repatriation, articulating their value in international relations and diplomacy between Western countries and postcolonial nations, as well as between federally recognized Native American Indigenous Tribes and the United States government. The thesis review takes the Elgin Marbles, arguably the most debated subject, as a model for my case study analysis. I will explore complications driven by conversations of repatriation. Overall, this thesis will propose theories about power dynamics and their implications and influence that appropriated artifacts have on diplomatic and international relations, through negotiations of cultural heritage and knowledge between Western-centric states and postcolonial states.
Recommended Citation
Boyd, Emma, "Artifacts as Ambassadors: How Archaeological Artifacts Dictate Modern Diplomatic Relations and Repatriation" (2026). Honors Papers and Posters. 15.
https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/honors_student_work/15
Copyright
The author
Included in
Classical Archaeology and Art History Commons, Cultural History Commons, Diplomatic History Commons, Museum Studies Commons, Other History Commons, Other History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, Other Political Science Commons, Public History Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, Social History Commons
Comments
Honors Capstone