Cultural Heritage Rights and Rights Related to Cultural Heritage: A Review of the Cultural Heritage Rights System

Previous decades have witnessed the widespread use of human rights discourses in explaining cultural heritage issues. The content of the cultural heritage right (a term used interchangeably with “right to cultural heritage” in this text), and the relationship between cultural heritage and human rights are diversely demonstrated in international cultural heritage instruments and previous studies. Some of them may overlap or even contradict each other, causing confusion about the relevant concepts. This article aims to answer the twin question: What is the relationship between the “right to cultural heritage” and “rights related to cultural heritage”, which together comprise the cultural heritage rights system? The main feature of cultural heritage is its spiritual significance, which constitutes the basis of the human right to cultural heritage. The core content of the right to cultural heritage is the right to enjoy the intangible value of; meaning of; and interests inherent in cultural heritage. The holder of the right to cultural heritage is “everyone” – a concept so vague that it results in the intractable tension between the right and the rights of states, communities, individuals, Indigenous peoples, humanity as a whole, and so on. “Rights related to cultural heritage”, which are not cultural heritage rights per se, include public participation rights, the right to education, ownership rights, the rights to a livelihood, development, human dignity, equality, and other basic human rights. Some of them may promote the right to cultural heritage, while some may conflict with or limit the same right.