Confronting Cultural Heritage Threats: From Illicit Antiquities to Global Risk Management
Cultural heritage sits at the intersection of geopolitics, security, economics, and identity. From the looting of archaeological sites to the pressures of tourism and climate change, the challenges facing heritage today demand new forms of expertise – and a new generation of professionals.
Two intensive summer programs at The American University of Rome address these issues directly, offering a focused and practice-oriented exploration of one of the fastest-evolving areas within the sector.
The Global Trade in Antiquities
The illicit trafficking of antiquities has become a global enterprise linked to organized crime and conflict economies. In parts of the Middle East and North Africa, instability has enabled both opportunistic and systematic looting. Artefacts are removed from sites, passed through complex networks, and reappear in the legal art market, often stripped of their original context.
What is lost is not only the object, but the historical and cultural knowledge it carries. For professionals working in museums, law enforcement, and cultural policy, understanding how these networks operate, from excavation to sale, is now essential.
A Broader Risk Landscape
Illicit trafficking is only one dimension of a wider and rapidly shifting risk environment.
Cultural heritage faces increasing pressure from overtourism, environmental degradation, conflict, and changing expectations around representation and interpretation. Historic cities, like Rome, must balance preservation with mass visitation, while heritage sites in conflict zones are often deliberately targeted for their symbolic value.
At the same time, debates around restitution and contested histories are reshaping how institutions define and present heritage. The field now requires professionals who can navigate not only technical challenges, but also ethical and political complexity.
Preparing for the Future of Heritage Work
Protecting cultural heritage now means building resilience: ensuring that sites, institutions, and communities can respond to a range of evolving pressures.
As international frameworks continue to emphasize the importance of safeguarding heritage, demand is growing for professionals able to operate across disciplines and borders. Programs that bridge theory and practice are increasingly central to that effort, preparing participants to contribute meaningfully to a field where the stakes are higher than ever.
Rome – A Living Laboratory
Set in Rome, where questions of preservation, tourism, and historical narrative are part of daily life, AUR’s summer programs provide a concentrated professional learning experience.
Designed for both practitioners and those entering the field, the courses combine expert-led teaching with contemporary case studies and applied discussion. Participants gain practical frameworks alongside a deeper understanding of the forces shaping cultural heritage today.
Applications are now open for AUR’s Summer 2026 professional development courses in cultural heritage.
