Dr Emiline Smith awarded Scottish Funding Council Global Challenges Research Fund grant for project in Myanmar & Nepal

22 Aug 2019

Congratulations to Dr Emiline Smith who has been awarded a grant for the project “Global synchronization and the illicit antiquities trade: understanding community crime prevention in post-earthquake Nepal and Myanmar” from the Scottish Funding Council’s Global Challenges Research Fund scheme.

Together with Phacharaphorn Phanomvan na Ayudhya (Oxford University), Myanmar Archaeological Association and ICOMOS Nepal, this project will compare local community-based security models in Nepal and Myanmar to assess why and how looting of cultural heritage takes place. The project aims to understand the key issues and stakeholders involved in the custodianship of movable cultural heritage and the different factors (socio-economic, political, environmental) influencing the efficacy of crime prevention strategies related to cultural heritage, both locally as well as nationally. It also aims to explore how knowledge regarding illegal excavation, looting and trafficking of cultural objects can be integrated with local religious and traditional cultural practices to maximize effectiveness of crime prevention strategies, ultimately leading to a community-driven protection of cultural property.