About the Episode
Why is the historical community so fascinated with the Black Panther film? Aside from being a history-making blockbuster success, many are impressed with the film’s commentary on artifact repatriation.
The issue of artifact ownership goes back as far as 70 BCE, when Cicero made an argument for the repatriation of artifacts plundered from Greek temples. Although centuries have passed, the conversation surrounding this complex subject continues.
In this episode, Robin, Nick and Keely explore the history of the repatriation conversation as well as the ongoing developments. It’s an important conversation and we invite you to take part!
Notes
- For more on the infamous 3D-printed Nefertiti bust, click here.
- Interested in learning more about repatriation? Keely has provided some useful online resources:
- Pitt Rivers Museum’s Haida Material Culture in UK Museums Project
- Gil Cardinal’s feature-length documentary: Totem: The Return of the G’psgolox Pole.
- The Task Force Report on Museums and First Peoples
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
Sources
Alfred, Taiaiake. Wasáse: Indigenous Pathways to Action and Freedom. University of Toronto Press,2009.
Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Trans. Harry Zhon. Ed. Hannah Arendt. N.p.: Schocken, 1936. 29 March 2016. https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm
Bishop, Russel and Ted Glyn. Culture Counts: Changing Power Relations in Education. Zed Books, 1999.
Cascone, Sarah. “The Museum Heist Scene in ‘Black Panther’ Adds Fuel to the Debate About African Art Restitution.” 5 March 2018. Art and Law. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/black-panther-museum-heist-restitution-1233278.
D’Amours, Jillian. “Art and Activism Collide at Iraqi Artefact Exhibtion in Toronto.” Middle East Eye. Accessed March 30, 2016. http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/art-and-activism-collide-iraqi-artefact-exhibition-1186982388.
Eflux. “Artists release 3-D scan of prized Egyptian artifact to protest colonial looting.” Accessed March 30, 2016. http://conversations.e-flux.com/t/artists-release-3-d-scan-of-prized-egyptian-artifact-to-protest-colonial-looting/3314.
Emayer, Carol and Anthony Shelton, ed. The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. Douglas & MacIntyre, 2009.
Falk, John H. “Identity and the Museum Visitor Experience” in Conversations with visitors: Social Media in Museums, ed. Elizabeth P. Stewart, Dana Allen-Greil, Beck Trench.132-56. Museums, 2012.
Gabel, Eric. “How We Study History Museums: Or Cultural Studies and Monticello” in New Museum Theory & Practice,ed. Janet Maristine.109-152. Blackwell Publishing,2008.
Irlbacher-Fox, Stephanie. Finding Dahshaa: Self-Government, Social Suffering, and Aboriginal Policy in Canada. UBC Press, 2009.
Krmpotich, Cara and Laura Peers. This is Our Life: Haida Material Heritage and Changing Museum Practices. UBC Press, 2014.
Latour, Bruno, and Adam Lowe. Switching Codes. Ed. Thomas Bartscherer. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
Lederman, Marsha. “Technology illuminates the past in immersive Vancouver art exhibit.” The Globe and Mail. Accessed March 30, 2016. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/art-and-architecture/technology-illuminates-the-past-in-immersive-vancouver-art-exhibit/article26426729/.
Lindaur, Margret. “The Critical Museum Visitor” New Museum Theory & Practice, ed. Janet Maristine.203-210.Blackwell Publishing, 2008.
Miles, Margaret M. Art as Plunder: The Ancient Origins of Debate About Cultural Property. Cambridge University Press, 2008.
The Museum of Anthropology: University of British Columbia. Accessed: Dec 1st 2015 http://moa.ubc.ca/
Page, Thomas. “The spectacular, warped beauty of Mumbai’s elaborate interiors.” CNN. Accessed March 30, 2016. http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/10/design/look-up-mumbai-ceilings/
Simpson, Moira. “Revealing & Concealing: Museum Objects and the Transmission of Knowledge in Aboriginal Australia” New Museum Theory & Practice, ed. Janet Maristine.152-186. Blackwell Publishing, 2008.
Totem: The Return of the G’psgolox Pole. DVD. Directed by Gill Cardinal. , 2003
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. What We Have Learned: Principles of Truth and Reconciliation. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication, 2015.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. The Survivors Speak: A Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication, 2015.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication, 2015.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication, 2015.
Tuhiwai-Smith, Linda. Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. Zed Books, 2012.
Vereges, Francoise. “A Museum Without Objects” in The Post-Colonial Museum :The Arts of Memory and the Pressures of History, ed. Iain Chambers, Alessandra De Angelis, Celeste Ianniciello, Mariangela Orbona, Michaela Quadrano.27-32. Ashgate Publishing, 2014.
Warry, Wayne. Ending Denial: Understanding Aboriginal Issues. University of Toronto Press, 2007.
“Who Owns Ancient Art? Part 2” Narrated by Paul Kennedy. Ideas. Nov/27/15. http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/who-owns-ancient-art-part-2-1.3119029
Wilder, Charly. “Nefertiti 3-D Scanning Project in Germany Raises Doubts.” The New York Times. Accessed March 30, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/11/arts/design/nefertiti-3-d-scanning-project-in-germany-raises-doubts.html
Wilder, Charly. “Swiping a Priceless Antiquity . With a Scanner and a 3-D Printer.” The New York Times. Accessed March 30, 2016.
Credits
Producers: Robin Mullins and Emily Cuggy
Hosts: Robin Mullins, Nick Bridges, Keely McCavitt
Researcher: Keely McCavitt
Audio Editing: Robin Mullins and Emily Cuggy
Web Content: Casandra Masse
Image Credit: Marvel.