People, places and plunder: Diasporas and the restitution of looted heritage

During the colonial era, numerous cultural objects were translocated from the colonial periphery to western metropolises. The colonial and post-independence period also saw large movements of people from periphery to centre. In recent years, the calls for return of colonial-era plunder from Western institutions has virtually exploded.

Bowing to demands, in which diaspora and minority activists have been central, many museums have initiated processes of return.

At the same time, the existence of large diasporas from the very communities the objects were looted from raises questions about who the objects should be returned to and where they belong.This project investigates how diaspora communities engage with, shape and are shaped by the debates around restitution of “their” once forcefully removed cultural objects.

Doing so, it builds on, combines and contributes to the fields of diaspora, museum/heritage and restitution studies.The project focuses on diasporas from India, Nigeria and Ethiopia – places where some of the most iconic contested looted objects originate – living in countries where the objects are retained, most importantly in Britain.

The project draws from multiple sources, in particular interviews with persons in the diaspora and other key actors (bureaucrats, museum staff etc.), but also analyses news reporting, social media and museum displays where claims over cultural objects, identities, representations and historical narration are made and resisted.