The article debunks the myth of the educational value of ‘world’ or ‘universal’ museums and addresses difficult issues around claims of cultural nationalism and the need to repair past injustices.
It shows that numerous countries and institutions both in the United Kingdom and worldwide are addressing the challenges posed by their imperial and colonial collections by repatriating disputed heritage.
A case in point is the recent Dutch policy on colonial repatriations, motivated by a desire for reparation.
Ultimately, the article argues that the repatriation debate is not about practicality or convenience. It is about justice. Titi points to a debate in the House of Commons in June 1816, when the justice argument was also brought up, that time in relation to those marbles.
