Class Year
2020
Document Type
Student Research Paper
Date of Creation
Spring 2019
Department 1
Anthropology
Abstract
Humans have been collecting artifacts for centuries, whether it is for their aesthetic value or for the acquisition of knowledge. However, these artifacts have, in most cases, been taken without permission from the countries of origin. Today, museums are struggling with the issue of repatriation and many refuse to return their priceless possessions. Western museums and their supporters are arguing that repatriation will put the artifacts in danger and hurt the chances for humanity to learn from them. The arguments of these museums are an attempt of symbolic violence on non-Western nations, who are seen as unfit or unable to care for their own history.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Amato, Meredith M., "Antiquities Theft: The Role of the Museum in Modern Symbolic Violence" (2019). Student Publications. 731.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/student_scholarship/731
Included in
Legal History Commons, Museum Studies Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons
Comments
Written for ANTH 304: Anthropology of Violence and Conflict.