Confronting Colonial Objects: Histories, Legalities, and Access to Culture

Calls for a new international cultural order go back to decolonization, but the issue has been treated as a matter of comity or reduced to a Shakespearean dilemma. Confronting Colonial Objects argues that contemporary practices are at a tipping point and presents micro histories and object biographies to trace recurring justifications and contestations of takings and returns. It demonstrates the dual role of law and cultural heritage regulation in facilitating colonial injustices and mobilizing resistance.

Format: Hardback
Length: 592 pages
Publication date: 13 October 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

The treatment of cultural colonial objects is a highly contentious issue that has been the subject of much debate in recent years. Calls for a new international cultural order date back to the decolonization process, but for decades, the issue has been treated as a matter of comity or reduced to a Shakespearean dilemma: to return or not to return. Confronting Colonial Objects seeks to transcend these traditional dichotomies and argues that contemporary practices are at a critical juncture. The book demonstrates that cultural takings were integral to the colonial project throughout different periods and extended far beyond mere looting. It presents microhistories and object biographies to trace recurring justifications and contestations of takings and returns, while outlining the complicity of anthropology, racial science, and professional networks that enabled colonial collecting. The book highlights the dual role of law and cultural heritage regulation in facilitating colonial injustices and mobilizing resistance to them. Drawing on the interplay between justice, ethics, and human rights, Stahn develops principles of relational cultural justice. He challenges the argument that takings were acceptable according to the standards of the time and outlines how future engagement requires a re-invention of knowledge systems and relations towards objects, including new forms of consent, provenance research, and partnership, as well as a re-thinking of the role of museums themselves.

Following the life story and transformation of cultural objects, this book offers a fresh perspective on international law and colonial history that appeals to audiences across a wide range of disciplines. It is an open-access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. It is free to read on the Oxford Academic platform and is offered as a free PDF download.

Weight: 1058g
Dimension: 242 x 164 x 38 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192868121