Dr Summer Rose Austin
@summeraustin.bsky.social
Archaeologist researching cultural heritage crime, looting, trafficking, il/licit markets, museum ethics and law | 1st Gen PhD from @uclarchaeology.bsky.social | she/her
No one is illegal on stolen land
No one is illegal on stolen land
Pinned
📚 I’m thrilled to share that “Researching a Rigged Game: Digital Approaches to Tracing the Illicit Trade in Cultural Objects”, edited by @dremilinesmith.bsky.social and myself, is now published and available as Open Access via @springernature.com.
🔗https://lnkd.in/gBCv2KDH
🔗https://lnkd.in/gBCv2KDH
Reposted by Dr Summer Rose Austin
Come join me and the @uclarchaeology.bsky.social team! Teaching replacement post in Museum Studies, 1 year contract: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
www.ucl.ac.uk
February 16, 2026 at 12:37 PM
Come join me and the @uclarchaeology.bsky.social team! Teaching replacement post in Museum Studies, 1 year contract: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Bill aimed at giving Israel control over all West Bank heritage sites sparks concern
Campaign groups have claimed the proposal violates international law, while Israel maintains it is about taking responsibility for and protecting Jewish heritage
www.theartnewspaper.com
February 10, 2026 at 11:45 AM
Because trusting experts is bad?
The lawyer for Galerie Kraemer expressed disappointment with the decision and said: “All dealers should be concerned that it only takes a couple of experts to raise doubts about dates to cancel the sale of such a marvelous object.”
www.artnews.com/art-news/new...
The lawyer for Galerie Kraemer expressed disappointment with the decision and said: “All dealers should be concerned that it only takes a couple of experts to raise doubts about dates to cancel the sale of such a marvelous object.”
www.artnews.com/art-news/new...
Sale of Chinese Vase Canceled by French Court Over Question of Provenance
The sale of a Chinese vase to Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani was cancelled by a French court over questions about its provenance.
www.artnews.com
January 19, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Because trusting experts is bad?
The lawyer for Galerie Kraemer expressed disappointment with the decision and said: “All dealers should be concerned that it only takes a couple of experts to raise doubts about dates to cancel the sale of such a marvelous object.”
www.artnews.com/art-news/new...
The lawyer for Galerie Kraemer expressed disappointment with the decision and said: “All dealers should be concerned that it only takes a couple of experts to raise doubts about dates to cancel the sale of such a marvelous object.”
www.artnews.com/art-news/new...
@dremilinesmith.bsky.social with some reflections on the British Museum's latest ploy hyperallergic.com/british-muse...
British Museum Launches Farcical “Decolonizing” Loan Program
Long-term loans to former colonies are not restitution. They do not acknowledge historical wrongdoing, nor do they restore agency to source communities.
hyperallergic.com
December 23, 2025 at 12:23 PM
@dremilinesmith.bsky.social with some reflections on the British Museum's latest ploy hyperallergic.com/british-muse...
Looking forward to the engaging and inspiring conversations taking place at TAG 2025 @tag2025york.bsky.social.
December 15, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Looking forward to the engaging and inspiring conversations taking place at TAG 2025 @tag2025york.bsky.social.
Yet another museum theft, this time at Bristol museum
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Hundreds of items stolen in 'high-value' Bristol museum raid
More than 600 artefacts from the museum's British Empire and Commonwealth collection were taken.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 11, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Yet another museum theft, this time at Bristol museum
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The legacies of colonialism and control are not confined to museums, they are evident in often overlooked aspects of life today. Yasmin Khans’ ordeal sheds light on how these legacies are still weaponised today.
www.theguardian.com/food/comment...
www.theguardian.com/food/comment...
I called my recipe book Sabzi – vegetables. But the name was trademarked. And my legal ordeal began
The granting of patents and trademarks to foods and words from the global south is part of a long colonial grab. It’s time to realise we share what we cook, and what we call it
www.theguardian.com
December 8, 2025 at 10:04 AM
The legacies of colonialism and control are not confined to museums, they are evident in often overlooked aspects of life today. Yasmin Khans’ ordeal sheds light on how these legacies are still weaponised today.
www.theguardian.com/food/comment...
www.theguardian.com/food/comment...
Receipts are about to come to light 🧾
www.artnews.com/art-news/new...
www.artnews.com/art-news/new...
Cambodian Government Requests Records from Disgraced Art Historian and Denver Art Museum Board Member
Cambodia reached out to the family of Emma C. Bunker, an art historian who died in 2021 and who sat on the board of Denver Art Museum, for records.
www.artnews.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Receipts are about to come to light 🧾
www.artnews.com/art-news/new...
www.artnews.com/art-news/new...
Its snail jail for these thieves 🐌
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/w...
The Heist of Its Culinary Crown Jewels Rocks a French Village
www.nytimes.com
December 4, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Its snail jail for these thieves 🐌
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/w...
This case is getting spicy 👀 www.artnews.com/art-news/new...
In New Filing, Philadelphia Art Museum Accuses Ex-Director Sasha Suda of Theft
Earlier this month, Sasha Suda filed a civil suit against the Philadelphia Art Museum. On Thursday, the museum filed its response.
www.artnews.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:58 PM
This case is getting spicy 👀 www.artnews.com/art-news/new...
📚 I’m thrilled to share that “Researching a Rigged Game: Digital Approaches to Tracing the Illicit Trade in Cultural Objects”, edited by @dremilinesmith.bsky.social and myself, is now published and available as Open Access via @springernature.com.
🔗https://lnkd.in/gBCv2KDH
🔗https://lnkd.in/gBCv2KDH
November 12, 2025 at 3:21 PM
📚 I’m thrilled to share that “Researching a Rigged Game: Digital Approaches to Tracing the Illicit Trade in Cultural Objects”, edited by @dremilinesmith.bsky.social and myself, is now published and available as Open Access via @springernature.com.
🔗https://lnkd.in/gBCv2KDH
🔗https://lnkd.in/gBCv2KDH
“The old arguments against return are crumbling,” @monicahanna.bsky.social The new museum, she argued, was a signal to the world: “Egypt possesses the capacity, the will and the world-class facilities to house its own heritage.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/a...
Egypt’s Grand Museum Is Finally Open. Now, ‘We Need Our Stuff Back.’
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:04 AM
“The old arguments against return are crumbling,” @monicahanna.bsky.social The new museum, she argued, was a signal to the world: “Egypt possesses the capacity, the will and the world-class facilities to house its own heritage.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/a...
In an era marked in Canada by systems of forced conversion and the moral scourge of residential schools, this Inuvialuit kayak serves as a reminder of colonialist iniquity and Indigenous resilience. www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/11/06/v...
Vatican Museums will return rare Indigenous kayak to Canada
The Vatican is working with the Canadian Catholic Church to return Indigenous artefacts
www.theartnewspaper.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:04 AM
In an era marked in Canada by systems of forced conversion and the moral scourge of residential schools, this Inuvialuit kayak serves as a reminder of colonialist iniquity and Indigenous resilience. www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/11/06/v...
A really interesting read about rare book thefts
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
The Pushkin job: unmasking the thieves behind an international rare books heist
The long read: Between 2022 and 2023, as many as 170 rare and valuable editions of Russian classics were stolen from libraries across Europe. Were the thieves merely low-level opportunists, or were bi...
www.theguardian.com
October 8, 2025 at 3:57 PM
A really interesting read about rare book thefts
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
Excited (and relieved!) to share that I have officially submitted my doctoral thesis: “Tut on Tour: 30 Years of Demand Creation through Blockbuster Exhibition” at @uclarchaeology.bsky.social
I’m grateful to my supervisors, colleagues, friends, and family for their unending support throughout!
I’m grateful to my supervisors, colleagues, friends, and family for their unending support throughout!
October 2, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Excited (and relieved!) to share that I have officially submitted my doctoral thesis: “Tut on Tour: 30 Years of Demand Creation through Blockbuster Exhibition” at @uclarchaeology.bsky.social
I’m grateful to my supervisors, colleagues, friends, and family for their unending support throughout!
I’m grateful to my supervisors, colleagues, friends, and family for their unending support throughout!
Reposted by Dr Summer Rose Austin
'ChatGPT’s interpretation of contested memoryscapes favours the voice of current governments, capitalism and the far-right'. Our new article, led by Tania Gonzáles Cantera, is out. It is an outcome of Tania's visit to the #HeritageMindsLab @hcaatedinburgh.bsky.social last yr doi.org/10.1080/1352...
ChatGPT’s interpretation of contested memoryscapes favours the voice of current governments, capitalism and the far-right
This study examines political biases in ChatGPT-4o’s interpretations of memoryscapes linked to dictatorial regimes in Spanish-speaking countries. Using a least-to-most prompting model and a Discour...
doi.org
September 1, 2025 at 7:38 AM
'ChatGPT’s interpretation of contested memoryscapes favours the voice of current governments, capitalism and the far-right'. Our new article, led by Tania Gonzáles Cantera, is out. It is an outcome of Tania's visit to the #HeritageMindsLab @hcaatedinburgh.bsky.social last yr doi.org/10.1080/1352...
On top of the valid points made by Morgan, this is an example of broadcasting a list of sites exact locations without protections in place, literally providing potential looters a map to sites that are not protected. All as a publicity stunt. #dobetter
This makes me uncomfortable. Not only is this a question of ethics & respect, but perhaps these two archaeologists should ask themselves WHY a tech titan from Meta would want to locate heritage sites in resource-rich, Indigenous regions like the Amazon.
www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...
www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...
Where should archaeologists dig next? The winners of this OpenAI contest can tell them.
Archeological sites, like those in the Amazon, are disappearing faster than we can find them. Can AI help?
www.nationalgeographic.com
September 1, 2025 at 9:54 AM
On top of the valid points made by Morgan, this is an example of broadcasting a list of sites exact locations without protections in place, literally providing potential looters a map to sites that are not protected. All as a publicity stunt. #dobetter
The Met using its go to line of “you never owned it anyway” to not return something, even to the Rolling Stones 😂
Representatives for Mick Taylor, the Rolling Stones’ former guitarist, said a Les Paul guitar was stolen from him decades ago. The instrument ended up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who says Taylor never owned the guitar and has not made a claim.
A Former Rolling Stone Says the Met Has His Lost Guitar. The Museum Says No Way.
Representatives for Mick Taylor, the Rolling Stones’ former guitarist, said the Les Paul was stolen from him decades ago. The museum says he never owned it and has not made a claim.
nyti.ms
August 1, 2025 at 2:02 PM
The Met using its go to line of “you never owned it anyway” to not return something, even to the Rolling Stones 😂
