Between Crime and Commemoration: Human–Object Relationships in the Treasure Hunting for World War II Objects

Drawing on the sample of data gathered from Russian treasure hunting forums and from other social media platforms, this paper looks at human-object relationships that exist in the grey area of treasure hunting for World War II objects in Russia. It explores the confluence of criminal or criminalised acts with acts of commemoration as they are mediated through the network of relationships between object and human. As a result, it is possible to argue that objects have certain agentic qualities that affect people in their group and networks of relations. This suggests that further research on objects and their influence is necessary, particularly their role and influence on crime.