Date of Award

5-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Thesis

Department

History

First Advisor

Elise Edwards

Second Advisor

Zachary Scarlett

Abstract

Museums are home to many artifacts that allow us to learn about and understand people from around the world. However, many artifacts kept in Western (primarily North American and European) museums have origins steeped in colonial ideas of cultural superiority and collections acquired through ethically questionable means. Many institutions have been working to decolonize their collections by evaluating their objects' cultural origins and repatriating some pieces when possible. By repatriating (returning) objects of cultural patrimony as specified by laws such as the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), museums uphold their ethical duties and improve the quality of their collection. However, many museums have struggled to repatriate due to practical, ideological, and bureaucratic barriers. As part of my ethnographic research, including participant observation and interviews at two Indianapolis museums, I have engaged in the repatriation process and analyzed the challenges that modern museums face as they work to decolonize their collections and exhibit spaces. Through ethnographic and historical research, I have been able to highlight some of the major challenges that museums face during the repatriation process and many of the ways that they have been able to strive for successful repatriation.

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