240520 SE MM3 Dealing with ethnographic objects: From the Restitution Debate to New Actionism (2023W)

The handling of museum objects has always been a central topic in the discussion about the tasks and role of museums, but in the last ten years or so this discussion has experienced a significantly increased dynamic. Ethnographic museums in particular, with their countless objects whose origins are often not precisely known and whose acquisition has frequently taken place under questionable circumstances, are now taking an offensive approach to this issue and attempt to provide answers to pressing questions. In the course, current discussions will be taken up and the handling and possible new ways of dealing with objects will be discussed on the basis of examples. In the seminar, examples will first be presented, then students will be asked to find any ethnographically interesting object in a museum of their own choice, and then discuss it. This object will be presented in the form of a short presentation and will be discussed in plenary. The goal is to find questions about how to deal with specific objects, potential restitutions, and the role of museums in the present and future based on their engagement with them.