Abstract

SALERNO, Virginia M.  and  GRZEGORCZYK, Micaela. Between the legal and the illegal: archaeological collecting practices in the province of Buenos Aires (Argentina). Runa [online]. 2023, vol.44, n.2, pp.85-103.  Epub July 01, 2023. ISSN 1851-9628.  http://dx.doi.org/10.34096/runa.v44i2.12003.

In this paper, we present the experiences of a group of actors from different localities in Buenos Aires who own and collect archaeological materials. We consider the local contexts in which the objects acquire significance and the meanings disputed in the face of the regulations in force that define them as public heritage assets, placing the practices of their private appropriation on the margins of the legal sphere. The tensions generated and the arguments put forward to justify the continuity of the experiences analyzed allow us to consider how the interplay between the legal and the illegal is sustained by the affirmation of a series of shared principles -between these actors and those who represent legal practices- regarding archaeological objects, their importance for the present and the role of the state in their preservation and care.

Keywords : Archaeological heritage; Legislation; Private appropriation; State; Margins.

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