CONF: The Long History of Claims for the Return of Cultural Heritage from Colonial Contexts (German Lost Art Foundation / online, 17-19 Nov 2021)

Deutsches Zentrum - TIAMSA The International Art Market Studies Association


This year’s online conference of the German Lost Art Foundation (kulturgutverluste.de) – organized in cooperation with the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz and the Research Center for Material Culture of the National Museum of World Cultures, the Netherlands – will address “The Long History of Claims for the Return of Cultural Heritage from Colonial Contexts”.

The current debate on how to engage with collections from colonial contexts in European museums and heritage institutions is strongly focused on the issue of restitution. Demands for return may appear comparatively novel – however, the debate has a much longer history: Local objections to the removal and theft of individual belongings, collective property, or human remains have existed since the beginning of the colonial expansion. The same goes for claims for the return of cultural heritage, or for compensation for its removal, as well as for attempts to resist, prevent and publicly condemn colonial looting. 

The conference strives to shed light on the ‘long history’ of resistance against colonial dispossession and expropriation through the articulation of claims for the return of cultural heritage. By historicising the current debate, it aims to explore new avenues for research and future options for action. 

For the programme and additional information see https://history-of-restitution.com.