Staffan Lundén argues that previous research has analyzed how the British Museum’s anti-restitution position contributes to its distortion of British (Museum) history.
Instead, his article considers if – and, if so, how – history is distorted to argue for restitution. It examines the eulogized publication
The British Museums (2000) by Dan Hicks asking whether his claims regarding British mass atrocities in the conquest of Benin in 1897 can be substantiated by the documentary evidence.
The investigation shows that this is not the case.
The review also scrutinizes what the source material reveals about the death toll of the events of 1897.
Lundén’s criticism makes The Spectator wonder whether the tide is turning on restitution.
