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A review by linguistic_goblin
The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution by Dan Hicks
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.5
This book will make you hate the British Museum, along with many other institutions like it.
A well researched and frank discussion of the history of British curation of the spoils of colonial plunder, their original looting from the many peoples the British Empire has attacked, and how their continued enshrinement in facilities such as the British Museum constitutes a continuation of this legacy of violence. The framing of this as an ongoing act of theft, degradation, and white supremacy rather than a morally driven act of preservation of these artifacts that ensures their status as "global heritage" is the most compelling line of thought in the book, and effectively argues for the dismantling of the "world history" museum as it currently exists as a concept.
The details of what happened to Benin City, the motives for why it was raided, and the way this act was whitewashed and used for propaganda are hard to read at times; but it makes for a compelling case study for how colonizers - in a general sense - operate, the ways in which they justify not only the original theft but the continued display of their ill-gotten riches.
Very highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the debate surrounding who should own and be charged with the care for the contents of many western museums.
A well researched and frank discussion of the history of British curation of the spoils of colonial plunder, their original looting from the many peoples the British Empire has attacked, and how their continued enshrinement in facilities such as the British Museum constitutes a continuation of this legacy of violence. The framing of this as an ongoing act of theft, degradation, and white supremacy rather than a morally driven act of preservation of these artifacts that ensures their status as "global heritage" is the most compelling line of thought in the book, and effectively argues for the dismantling of the "world history" museum as it currently exists as a concept.
The details of what happened to Benin City, the motives for why it was raided, and the way this act was whitewashed and used for propaganda are hard to read at times; but it makes for a compelling case study for how colonizers - in a general sense - operate, the ways in which they justify not only the original theft but the continued display of their ill-gotten riches.
Very highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the debate surrounding who should own and be charged with the care for the contents of many western museums.