Colonial and imperial spoliations: The theft of cultural heritage and the question of its restitution. The profane memory.

[ in French ] French historian Patrick Howlett Martin focuses on colonial spoliations and those committed during conflicts and military interventions with their procession of enslavement, repression and pillage exercised on the peoples and cultures that suffered the rule of the conquering powers.

No consideration or allegation can be put forward to obstruct the restitution of stolen property to nations deprived of master works of their cultural heritage.

Art, Howlett Martin reminds us, is one of the rare areas where recognition, deference, repentance can be shown towards nations that are today independent, but deprived of the memory transmission of which the essential can be found in major museums and collections that attract millions of visitors.