Looted Cultural Objects

Abstract

In the United States, Europe, and elsewhere, museums are in possession of cultural objects that were unethically taken from their countries and communities of origin under the auspices of colonialism. For many years, the art world considered such holdings unexceptional. Now, a longstanding movement to decolonize museums is gaining momentum, and some museums are reconsidering their collections. Presently, whether to return such looted foreign cultural objects is typically a voluntary choice for individual museums to make, not a legal obligation. Modern treaties and statutes protecting cultural property apply only prospectively, to items stolen or illegally exported after their effective dates. But while the United States does not have a law concerning looted foreign cultural objects, it does have a statute governing the repatriation of Native American cultural items and human remains. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act requires museums to return designated Native American cultural objects to their communities-even if they were obtained before the law went into effect. This statute offers a valuable model for repatriating foreign cultural objects that were taken from formerly colonized peoples.

Keywords: Cultural property, cultural heritage, Decolonization, NAGPRA, Repatriation, Restitution, Indigenous rights, human rights, international law, restorative justice, reparative justice, transitional justice, social reconciliation, archaeology, art, antiquities