Penn Cultural Heritage Center (Penn CHC)

The Penn Cultural Heritage Center (Penn CHC) is a research, outreach, and educational center at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

The Penn CHC develops long term and sustainable programs for the preservation and promotion of community-based Cultural Heritage by:

• Studying the threats to Cultural Heritage from the looting and plundering of archaeological and historical sites, the illicit antiquities trade, and commercial development.
• Promoting heritage policies that are concerned with:
  • the ethics of studying the past
  • the rights and interests of indigenous peoples
  • the protection of heritage artifacts, monuments, and sites
  • the development of best practices for museums
• Connecting Cultural Heritage and human rights by asking, “Is there a basic human right to have your Cultural Heritage protected?”

Founded in 2008 by Anthropology Professor, Richard M. Leventhal, the Penn Cultural Heritage Center draws upon the expertise of the curators and researchers of the University of Pennsylvania and the Penn Museum. Since its inception, the Penn CHC has focused primarily on creating forums that bring together academics with non-academic stakeholders in cultural property policy programs.