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Whose Culture?: The Promise of Museums and the Debate over Antiquities
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Whose Culture?: The Promise of Museums and the Debate over Antiquities
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Overview
Source countries and archaeologists favor tough cultural property laws restricting the export of antiquities, have fought for the return of artifacts from museums worldwide, and claim the acquisition of undocumented antiquities encourages looting of archaeological sites. In Whose Culture?, leading figures from universities and museums in the United States and Britain argue that modern nation-states have at best a dubious connection with the ancient cultures they claim to represent, and that archaeology has been misused by nationalistic identity politics. They explain why exhibition is essential to responsible acquisitions, why our shared art heritage trumps nationalist agendas, why restrictive cultural property laws put antiquities at risk from unstable governmentsand more. Defending the principles of art as the legacy of all humankind and museums as instruments of inquiry and tolerance, Whose Culture? brings reasoned argument to an issue that for too long has been distorted by politics and emotionalism.
In addition to the editor, the contributors are Kwame Anthony Appiah, Sir John Boardman, Michael F. Brown, Derek Gillman, Neil MacGregor, John Henry Merryman, Philippe de Montebello, David I. Owen, and James C. Y. Watt.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780691154435 |
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Publisher: | Princeton University Press |
Publication date: | 04/29/2012 |
Pages: | 232 |
Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction by James Cuno 1
Part One: The Value of Museums 37
To Shape the Citizens of "That Great City, the World" by Neil MacGregor 39
"And What Do You Propose Should Be Done with Those Objects?" by Philippe de Montebello 55
Whose Culture Is It? by Kwame Anthony Appiah 71
Part Two: The Value of Antiquities 87
Antiquities and the Importanceand Limitationsof Archaeological Contexts by James C. Y. Watt 89
Archaeologists, Collectors, and Museums by Sir John Boardman 107
Censoring Knowledge: The Case for the Publication of Unprovenanced Cuneiform Tablets by David I. Owen 125
Part Three: Museums, Antiquities, and Cultural Property 143
Exhibiting Indigenous Heritage in the Age of Cultural Property by Michael F. Brown 145
Heritage and National Treasures by Derek Gillman 165
The Nation and the Object by John Henry Merryman 183
Select Bibliography 205
Contributors 209
Index 213
What People are Saying About This
Whose Culture? makes the strongest case yet for an internationalist approach to the protection and ownership of ancient cultural heritage, and against its nationalization by modern states on political and ideological grounds. Cuno argues that effective measures against the looting of ancient sites do not require exclusively nationalistic ownership, and that a more enlightened international framework would allow cultural heritage to continue to serve an ambassadorial role as a stimulus to artistic and cultural interaction. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in this increasingly important debate.
Timothy Potts, director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge
This book stands in opposition to widespread claimsprimarily from the archaeological communitythat museums' collecting of ancient works encourages looting and the illegal trade in antiquities. It thus advances what in the current climate is a sectarian position, but one supported by most museum curators and directors. Given the stature of the editor and distinguished contributors, Whose Culture? presents this perspective at the highest level of discussion.
Bruce Altshuler, director of the Program in Museum Studies at New York University
A balanced and illuminating overview of a hotly contested issue, Whose Culture? focuses on the debate among museum officials, archaeologists, and government leaders about the movement of insufficiently documented antiquities from their countries of origin to international art markets and the museums of other countries. This is a high-stakes problem for all involved and the book offers a multifaceted discussion about the handling of such antiquities now and policy implications for the future.
Jeffrey Abt, author of "A Museum on the Verge"
"Whose Culture? makes the strongest case yet for an internationalist approach to the protection and ownership of ancient cultural heritage, and against its nationalization by modern states on political and ideological grounds. Cuno argues that effective measures against the looting of ancient sites do not require exclusively nationalistic ownership, and that a more enlightened international framework would allow cultural heritage to continue to serve an ambassadorial role as a stimulus to artistic and cultural interaction. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in this increasingly important debate."—Timothy Potts, director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge"This book stands in opposition to widespread claims—primarily from the archaeological community—that museums' collecting of ancient works encourages looting and the illegal trade in antiquities. It thus advances what in the current climate is a sectarian position, but one supported by most museum curators and directors. Given the stature of the editor and distinguished contributors, Whose Culture? presents this perspective at the highest level of discussion."—Bruce Altshuler, director of the Program in Museum Studies at New York University"This is a very timely book. Events like the leveling of criminal charges by the Italian government against a former curator at the J. Paul Getty Museum and the widespread pillaging of antiquities in Iraq have transformed the longstanding international controversy over who legitimately 'owns' antiquities into a hot topic. This book will provide a basis for informed, intelligent debate."—Jerome J. Pollitt, professor emeritus, Yale University"A balanced and illuminating overview of a hotly contested issue, Whose Culture? focuses on the debate among museum officials, archaeologists, and government leaders about the movement of insufficiently documented antiquities from their countries of origin to international art markets and the museums of other countries. This is a high-stakes problem for all involved and the book offers a multifaceted discussion about the handling of such antiquities now and policy implications for the future."—Jeffrey Abt, author of A Museum on the Verge
This is a very timely book. Events like the leveling of criminal charges by the Italian government against a former curator at the J. Paul Getty Museum and the widespread pillaging of antiquities in Iraq have transformed the longstanding international controversy over who legitimately 'owns' antiquities into a hot topic. This book will provide a basis for informed, intelligent debate.
Jerome J. Pollitt, professor emeritus, Yale University