Reclaiming the Past: How a Legacy of Paternalism Affects Modern Efforts of Artifact Repatriation
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Date
2019-10-25
Department
History and Geography
Program
Master of Arts
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Abstract
The twenty first century has seen a push towards the righting of past wrongs, as social awareness has been on the rise. One such wrong that has currently caught the public’s attention is the repatriation of artifacts. Museums throughout the West are filled with objects that have been acquired through a variety of means, some, if looked at through a twenty first century lens would come across as immoral or even illegal. Museums in the West have been hesitant to hand over ownership of these objects back to the cultures that produced them. Though many of the reasons given for the reluctance to return the objects are legitimate, the notion of Western paternalism still looms large. My thesis will examine the link between repatriation and paternalism by primarily examining Nigeria’s efforts in seeking the repatriation of the Benin Bronzes from the British Museums. I will also look into repatriation claims to a lesser extent, including the Elgin Marbles and the repatriation of indigenous human remains in the US and Australia. Through the examination of historical newspapers, academic journals, monographs, I will argue that the hesitance in granting repatriation by Western Museum is directly linked to generations of paternalism from the West, towards these societies seeking repatriation. Furthermore, I will argue that this paternalism was fostered by the museums that hold these objects. The job of a curator is to tell a story through the objects in an exhibit. The story curators of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century told was one of cultural superiority. However, by analyzing the allocated funding for Museums in Britain, the US, and Benin, I will show that these concerns from the West, while steeped in paternalism, may still be warranted.