Historical Culture by Restitution?

A Debate on Art, Museums, and Justice

Contributions by Safua Akeli Amaama Contributions by Bettina Brockmeyer Contributions by Mirjam Brusius Contributions by Hartmut Dorgerloh Contributions by Andreas Eckert Contributions by Angelika Epple Contributions by Till Förster Contributions by Matthias Goldmann Contributions by Rebekka Habermas Contributions by Judith Hackmack Contributions by Brigitta Hauser-Schäublin Contributions by Sheila Heidt Contributions by Wolfgang Kaleck Contributions by Viola König Contributions by Flower Manase Contributions by Lukas Meyer Contributions by Benno Nietzel Contributions by Osarhieme Osadolor Contributions by Hermann Parzinger Contributions by Thomas Sandkühler Contributions by Erhard Schüttpelz Contributions by David Simo Contributions by Thomas Thiemeyer Contributions by Jürgen Zimmerer Contributions by Christoph Zuschlag Contributions by Beatriz von Loebenstein Edited by Thomas Sandkühler Edited by Angelika Epple Edited by Jürgen Zimmerer

Book cover: Historical Culture by Restitution?

Extent: 469 pages

Publisher: Böhlau Verlag Köln

Subjects: Art & Art History, Cultural Studies

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(June 2023)

ISBN: 9783412527815

6.3 x 9.25 inches

Price: $87.00

In stock

Looted art, art theft, colonial collections of cultural objects – not only since the controversy over the Nigerian Benin bronzes at the Humboldt Forum in the German capital Berlin and other European museums a dispute over how to deal with exhibits from colonial contexts erupted.


Looted art, art theft, colonial collections of cultural objects – not only since the controversy over the Nigerian Benin bronzes at the Humboldt Forum in the German capital Berlin and other European museums a dispute over how to deal with exhibits from colonial contexts erupted. The debate, which has been ongoing among experts for some time, gained new political momentum in 2018 when France’s President Macron announced that objects of colonial provenance in French museums would be returned to their societies of origin, and initiated concrete steps. The demand for restitution of art treasures of colonial provenance raises fundamental and extremely complex questions about the presence of the past in ethical, scientific, political, legal and aesthetic dimensions. They concern art historians and museum professionals, cultural historians, historians of science, lawyers and history teachers as well as visitors to museums with colonial collections, who are made aware of the provenance of objects there. This volume, published in Germany in 2021, was a first attempt at illuminating the historio-cultural dimensions of the debate and bringing them to the attention of a broader public. German and international authors contributed essays making clear, how important it is to take a differentiated look at a central part of the current social debate on the legacy of colonialism. This volume was well received. As colonialism is by definition an international phenomenon, the current debate in Germany is presented here in an English language version now.

  • Contributions by Safua Akeli Amaama
  • Contributions by Bettina Brockmeyer
  • Contributions by Mirjam Brusius
  • Contributions by Hartmut Dorgerloh
  • Contributions by Andreas Eckert
  • Contributions by Angelika Epple
  • Contributions by Till Förster
  • Contributions by Matthias Goldmann
  • Contributions by Rebekka Habermas
  • Contributions by Judith Hackmack
  • Contributions by Brigitta Hauser-Schäublin
  • Contributions by Sheila Heidt
  • Contributions by Wolfgang Kaleck
  • Contributions by Viola König
  • Contributions by Flower Manase
  • Contributions by Lukas Meyer
  • Contributions by Benno Nietzel
  • Contributions by Osarhieme Osadolor
  • Contributions by Hermann Parzinger
  • Contributions by Thomas Sandkühler
  • Contributions by Erhard Schüttpelz
  • Contributions by David Simo
  • Contributions by Thomas Thiemeyer
  • Contributions by Jürgen Zimmerer
  • Contributions by Christoph Zuschlag
  • Contributions by Beatriz von Loebenstein
  • Edited by Thomas Sandkühler
  • Edited by Angelika Epple
  • Edited by Jürgen Zimmerer