Brill Indigenous Peoples' Cultural Heritage: Rights, Debates, Challenges

Indigenous rights to heritage have only recently become the subject of academic scholarship. This collection aims to fill that gap by offering the fruits of a unique conference on this topic organised by the University of Lapland with the help of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The conference made clear that important information on Indigenous cultural heritage has remained unexplored or has not been adequately linked with specific actors (such as WIPO) or specific issues (such as free, prior and informed consent). Indigenous leaders explained the impact that disrespect of their cultural heritage has had on their identity, well-being and development. Experts in social sciences explained the intricacies of indigenous cultural heritage. Human rights scholars talked about the inability of current international law to fully address the injustices towards indigenous communities. Representatives of International organisations discussed new positive developments. This wealth of experiences, materials, ideas and knowledge is contained in this important volume. Review "Written with passion by a group of experts in the field of indigenous rights, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the current developments concerning the realisation and enforcement of these rights. The focus on indigenous Sámi communities renders the reading of this book particularly engaging for a European audience. while the wider international and domestic contexts are undoubtedly interesting for all readers working in the spectrum of disciplines associated with indigenous rights, including international human rights law, cultural heritage law, land rights, environmental law, and procedural justice." - Andrzej Jakubowski, XXXVII Polish Yearbook of International Law, Warsaw, 2018, pp. 303-307 (DOI 10.7420/pyil2017p) About the Author Alexandra Xanthaki is Professor of Law at Brunel University London, United Kingdom. Sanna Valkonen is Associate Professor of Sámi research at the University of Lapland (Postdoctoral researcher of the Academy of Finland (-8/2017). Leena Heinämäki (LL.D) is Senior Researcher at the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland. Piia Nuorgam is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Law at the University of Lapland.