Soft Power and Heritage: New Domains in International Relations

We will detail the concept of “soft power” (attraction through persuasion and behaviour rather than coercion) and how it encompasses and problematises the multiplicity of topics on the contemporary international agenda, focusing on one of its least discussed elements: the universe of the internationalisation of cultural heritage and the relationship between actors and preservationist actions in the globalised world. A wide range of historical examples are drawn to illustrate the effects of soft power on international relations, of which we will focus on the following: (a) the criticism of the cartography represented in the list of world/human heritage sites linked to UNESCO and (b) the action surrounding international trafficking and the recovery/repatriation/return of cultural goods, in the universe of the so-called international criminogenic collectibles.