Repatriation as a field of power: a critical commentary on The Empty Showcase Syndrome, by Jos van Beurden

Abstract

In a global political climate where respect for international law weakens and imperialist movements gain increasing power, museums emerge as institutions that should strive to play a crucial role in critically reviewing the histories that drove their development and the production of their heritage. The repatriation or restitution of archaeological, ethnographic, and artistic pieces to countries that suffered the ravages of colonialism constitutes one of the fundamental actions in this critical exercise, aimed at strengthening museum decolonization policies worldwide.