Who Owns the Past? Repatriation Cases and the Future of Repatriation
Open Access
- Author:
- Baity, Le Mhai
- Area of Honors:
- Anthropology
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Ann Eloise Killebrew, Thesis Supervisor
Douglas Bird, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Repatriation
cultural property
Turkey
NAGPRA
Benin Bronzes
Museums
Artifacts
Greece
Italy - Abstract:
- What is the debate surrounding museum repatriation and how far has the debate come? The debate around, and process of, repatriating artifacts is complex, and with the increasing reckoning with colonial pasts and injustices, there have been many calls for the repatriation of artifacts taken out of their home countries. Cases of artifacts obtained through colonial acquisition, such as the Alexander Sarcophagus and the Benin Bronzes will be examined. Cases of artifacts obtained through private collections, theft, and illegal excavation such as the Shelby White and Leon Levy Collection and the Getty Museum will also be examined. Lastly, culturally significant artifacts like looted artifacts from Cambodia and the Trojan Gold will be analyzed. The process of repatriation can be complex. Laws can hinder repatriation, and the safety of the artifact is also of major concern. It can be difficult to repatriate an object when the artifact may not be stable enough to be sent far away or when the destination is in turmoil or lacks the resources to protect or properly conserve the artifact. These cases demonstrate how the conversation surrounding repatriation and ethical curation has developed. As museums begin to come to terms with the legacies of their collections, they are attempting to become more ethical about the way they obtain their objects and who they obtain them from. Repatriation is increasingly being debated, and as the topic of museum repatriation has been pushed to the forefront, the question of ownership of these artifacts has been brought forth. Are these artifacts the property of humankind? Or are they the property of the cultures they came from? Who does the past belong to?