The Methods and Ethics of Researching Unprovenienced Artifacts from East Asia (Elements in Ancient East Asia)

Foster, Christopher J./ Chao, Glenda/ Valmisa, Mercedes

Cambridge University Press（2024/04発売）

• 製本 Paperback:紙装版/ペーパーバック版／ページ数 72 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9781009107464
• DDC分類 930.1028

Full Description

The immense outpouring of archaeological discoveries this past century has shed new light on ancient East Asia, and China in particular. Yet in concert with this development another, more troubling, trend has likewise gained momentum: the looting of cultural heritage and the sale of unprovenienced antiquities. Scholars face difficult questions, from the ethics of working with objects of unknown provenance, to the methodological problems inherent in their research. The goal of this Element is to encourage scholars to critically examine their relationships to their sources and reflect upon the impact of their research. The three essays in this Element present a range of disciplinary perspectives, focusing on systemic issues and the nuances of method versus ethics, with a case study of the so-called 'Han board' MSS given as a specific illustration. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

Contents

1. To research or ignore the so-called 'Han Board' MSS: An opinion; 2. Where does responsibility lie: historical contexts and the ethics of the cultural custodianship of source materials; 3. Should we use unprovenienced materials in our research? Epistemic, Methodological, and Ethical Issues; References.