Dr. Emiline Smith is a Lecturer in Criminology at the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Glasgow. She is a member of the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, the Trafficking Culture Research Consortium, UK Blue Shield and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. She is also a Fellow at the Centre for Criminology at the University of Hong Kong.
Emiline’s research concerns the trafficking of cultural and natural resources, such as antiquities and wildlife. Her research primarily focuses on Asia; she has done fieldwork in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. She explores how and why participants take part in illicit transnational trades, and how urban settings, especially so-called ‘global cities’, facilitate such trade. She is further interested in plastic waste disposal and its impact on marine environments.
Emiline has also recently authored and published a storybook, Pema and the Stolen Statue from Dolpa (illustrated by Krisha Tamrakar). For more information, visit www.stolenstatues.com.
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Emiline Smith (2021). ‘Evaluating the Transformative Potential of Photovoice for Research into the Global Illicit Trade in Cultural Objects’. In Crime and Art, edited by Naomi Oosterman and Donna Yates, 1st ed., pp. 63–78. Studies in Art, Heritage, Law and the Market. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Neil Brodie, Morag M. Kersel, Simon Mackenzie, Isber Sabrine, Emiline Smith, and Donna Yates (2022). ‘Why There Is Still an Illicit Trade in Cultural Objects and What We Can Do About It’. Journal of Field Archaeology 47(2), pp. 117–30.
In conversation…
How does one become a criminologist specializing in art crime?
Through various jobs, summer schools, and internships, I realized that I was very interested in how and why people commit crimes against cultural heritage. I was fortunate enough to have some amazing mentors who shared this passion. They inspired me to pursue an MA in Public Archaeology at UCL and a PhD in Criminology to build the interdisciplinary skills needed to work in this field.
When you are not doing fieldwork, what do you do in your spare time?
When I am not in the field, you can find me below the ocean surface, as I am an avid scuba diver. I absolutely love travelling and am always looking for new adventures to explore our amazing planet. When I am home in Glasgow, you will probably find me testing out a new vegan baking recipe or upcycling vintage furniture to decorate my traditional tenement flat.