Amalia Abecassis

Major: International Relations
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Thesis Advisors: Kathryn Stoner

Tentative Thesis Title: Analyzing cultural restitution as a transitional justice mechanism that counters authoritarian weaponization of cultural heritage and supports democratic reconstruction by restoring national identity and collective memory, examined through Russia's systematic looting campaign in Ukraine

Future aspirations post-Stanford: I am planning to attend law school with the goal of practicing in art law and cultural property restitution. The field sits at a complex intersection of international law, domestic property law, and human rights, and my experience at the Louvre made clear how much practical legal expertise is needed both for individual restitution claims and for reforming the international frameworks that currently shield state actors from accountability for cultural crimes. Long-term, I hope to work at an institutional level, whether through a museum's legal department, a major auction house, an international organization, or in policy advocacy, to close the enforcement gaps that allow these crimes to go unanswered.

A fun fact about yourself: I have been a flamenco dancer for over a decade and have performed with the San Francisco Opera, so I spend a great deal of time thinking about both the preservation and the living transmission of cultural heritage.