Centenial Celebration

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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri

Time: 11:30 am

Results for antiques

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Author: Fay, Emily Victoria

Title: Trading in antiquities on eBay: the changing face of the illicit trade in antiquities

Summary: The sale of ancient objects on eBay is presented to buyers as legitimate and ethical. However the antiquities trade is a grey market, where both licit and illicit objects are sold (Bowman, 2008). An unknown percentage of illicit antiquities have entered the market as a consequence of archaeological looting. However, antiquities are fungible by nature, meaning that it is very difficult for buyers to differentiate the licit from the illicit. This thesis is based on the premise that the antiquities trade causes harm through the destruction of archaeological knowledge, and therefore there is a necessity to reduce the size of the market. Using Sutton's market reduction approach, the study sets out to collect empirical data on the market from eBay. The thesis considers three main research questions: First, is the current regulatory framework for the sale of antiquities adequate? Second, what is the scale and scope of the market on eBay for antiquities? Third, what are the routine features of the operation of this market? The thesis adopts routine activity theory to investigate the structural elements of the antiquities market, outlining the actors involved in the market, the reasons why antiquities make "suitable targets", and exploring the range of 'capable guardians' who may play a formal or informal role in the surveillance of this market. The data indicates eBay has expanded the size and reach of the antiquities trade, enabling amateurised actors to trade on a global scale. However, the online "frame" (Goffman, 1969) of eBay auctions creates additional challenges through the separation of goods and actors and the fluidity of identity in cyberspace. The thesis ends with an examination of the distal and proximal nodes of governance in online environments and the ideological, definitional, evidentiary, legislative and structural challenges to addressing the illicit antiquities trade at the market end.

Details: Keele, UK: Keele University, 2013. 436p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed December 5, 2016 at: http://eprints.keele.ac.uk/197/1/Fay%20PhD%202013.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: International

URL: http://eprints.keele.ac.uk/197/1/Fay%20PhD%202013.pdf

Shelf Number: 140279

Keywords:
Antiques
Antiquities
Illegal Markets
Illegal Trade
Illicit Trade