Decolonization and restitution

Resumo

Institutions and private collectors in Europe are currently in possession of a great number of cultural artifacts, historical documents, and human remains, many of which result from Europe’s invasive occupation of numerous territories in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. These collections are a troubling legacy of European imperialism and colonialism. The inquiry into the origins of this heritage in the past requires attention to the history and concept of colonialism. The inquiry into the ends of these collections as colonial legacy in the present demands reflection, in turn, about the history and concept of decolonization. The concept according to which the restitution of objects is a means to repair and to terminate colonialism implies the concept of “decolonization” is a historical figure of contemporary significance, an event to develop and deliver today.