Mobilizing : Benin heritage in Swiss museums /
"Museums, politicians, and the public are embroiled in a highly charged debate about the history and restitution of cultural heritage taken from the Kingdom of Benin (Nigeria). The Benin Initiative Switzerland (2021-24) was set up to address the question of how to deal with objects from Benin h...
| Uniform Title: | In Bewegung (2024). |
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| Other Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Zürich :
Scheidegger & Spiess,
[2024]
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| Subjects: |
| Summary: | "Museums, politicians, and the public are embroiled in a highly charged debate about the history and restitution of cultural heritage taken from the Kingdom of Benin (Nigeria). The Benin Initiative Switzerland (2021-24) was set up to address the question of how to deal with objects from Benin held in eight public museums across the country. The initiative is the first nationwide and multi-institutional project to examine the provenance of objects that were violently acquired during the colonial era. The collaboration between the museums and representatives from Nigeria and the diaspora fosters a new form of knowledge production that not only mobilizes the cultural heritage but also galvanizes the museums to take action. This joint publication investigates the historical and contemporary significance of the works and focuses on the dialogue with Nigerian partners, reflecting on the methods used for the collaborative research and the future of the works in question. Object biographies and examples drawn from museum exhibition and mediation practice provide insights into the entangled histories of these objects and art historical accounts of them, as well as the international art market and the postcolonial remembrance work being carried out in a dialogue between Africa and Europe. This diverse collection of essays and texts offers readers an opportunity to meditate on the works themselves, the values at stake, international relations, and conceptions of history"-- |
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| Physical Description: | 119 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), facsimiles, map, portraits ; 28 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages116-117). |
| ISBN: | 9783039421985 3039421980 |