Kent Law School is proud to celebrate the achievements of recent LLM graduate Kathleen Tantuico, whose ground-breaking work at the intersection of law and archaeology is advancing the protection of cultural heritage and the recognition of cultural rights globally.
Hailing from the Philippines, Kate is a lawyer-archaeologist who has combined her legal expertise with her passion for archaeology to advocate for heritage preservation both domestically and internationally. During her time at Kent, she produced award-winning research on the intentional destruction of cultural heritage and has since published an article in the Art, Antiquity and Law Journal, as well as a book chapter on the Philippines in The Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (Brill, 2025).
Reflecting on her journey and recent publications, Kate shares her thoughts on combining legal practice with cultural heritage advocacy:
“I am Kathleen Tantuico (Kate), a lawyer-archaeologist from the Philippines and a recent graduate of the LLM in International Law with Law and Society at Kent Law School.
I grew up and studied law in the Philippines, where I became the first and only known licensed lawyer with advanced degrees (LLM and MA) in law and archaeology, respectively. Over the years, I have worked both in the fields of law and archaeology, be it in the field conducting archaeological excavations, or in the court room representing clients. With an advocacy rooted in cultural heritage protection, I have advised government agencies and local communities plus assisted international organisations in promoting heritage protection and compliance with international best practices.
I chose Kent Law School for my postgraduate studies mainly because of its thrust in critical research and its ranking as the second top research university in the UK. I appreciated the opportunity to pursue my personal research interests and advocacy goals, particularly in cultural rights and related areas. My dissertation on the interpretation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) in relation to the intentional destruction of cultural heritage grew directly out of this academic environment and was awarded the cohort’s best LLM dissertation.
I have recently authored two publications.
The first is an article on cultural rights, published in the Art, Antiquity and Law Journal by the Institute of Art and Law. The piece originated as my assessment essay for Professor Sophie Vigneron’s International Cultural Heritage Law class during the Spring 2024 term. The article examines a contemporary critical analysis of the recognition of cultural rights within international law, and argues for stronger protections of cultural heritage as a fundamental human right. You can find it here: https://ial.uk.com/new-art-antiquity-and-law/.
The second is a book chapter titled “Philippines” in The Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage: National Approaches and Perspectives, Third Edition (Brill, 2025), edited by Jason Lowther, Joanne Sellick, and Michael V. Williams. The chapter surveys the Philippine legal framework and practice concerning underwater cultural heritage, situating it within both regional and international developments. It discusses the challenges and opportunities in aligning domestic law with global standards for heritage protection.
The chapter itself is available at this link: https://brill.com/edcollchap/book/9789004510883/BP000025.xml?language=en.
The chapter itself is available at this link: https://brill.com/edcollchap/book/9789004510883/BP000025.xml?language=en.
Looking forward, I aim to continue combining legal practice and cultural heritage advocacy, particularly in contexts where heritage intersects with issues of human rights, sustainability, and intergenerational equity.”
Dr Sophie Vigneron, Director of Education (PGT) at Kent Law School congratulates Kate, explaining that “I have worked with Kate as Director of the LLM programme, module convenor and dissertation supervisor and she has excelled in everything. She has shown an incredible critical mind that has led to the publication of two academic articles on cultural heritage during her Master’s studies, prize for best dissertation in her cohort and maintained a healthy work/life balance. Her achievement reflects the core ethos of Kent Law School—fostering rigorous, critical engagement with the law and empowering students to contribute meaningfully to scholarly debate.”