FUTURE PLANS, AGGRESSIVE POLICIES? A LOOK AT TURKEY S HERITAGE REPATRIATION STRATEGY

With a long history of archaeological repatriation requests, Turkey has become a focal point in the discussion particularly since 2011, due to its numerous requests for the return of artefacts currently on display in museums as distinct as the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Pergamon Museum in Berlin and the British Museum in London. Turkey is clearly following a Cultural Nationalist approach, claiming that all artefacts found in Turkish soil and taken to other countries illegally should be returned to their homeland and cared for the nation where they were first found. Overall, European and American museums have perceived Turkey s heritage repatriation strategy as aggressive and uncooperative. The situation has since captivated the attention of national and international scholars and curators, while arguments for and against repatriation seem to have multiplied endlessly.