Labelling herself a ‘repatriation sceptic’ (p. 7), J. nonetheless examines seriously the arguments marshalled against museums for the return – rather than retention – of ‘treasures’ acquired under colonialism or other coercive or dubious circumstances. The book has three main aims: to provide an overview of the formation of museums and collections; to explore the shifting nature of arguments for repatriation and retention; and ‘to restate the role of the museum and to reassess what we should expect of objects’ (p. 10). While the book title and cover image (of Parthenon sculptures in the Acropolis Museum) suggest a focus on Classical antiquities, J. ranges widely across object types, from a Hawaiian feather helmet possibly collected on a Captain Cook voyage, to African, Asian and Native American artworks, and multiple types of human remains.
The British Museum and the Musée du Louvre, two of the earliest public museums in Europe, receive special attention, together with various eighteenth- and nineteenth-century expeditions that brought them now-famous antiquities from Egypt, Greece and the Near East (including the colossal bust of Rameses II, the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles and Assyrian reliefs). ‘Cases of Loot’, Chapter 4, begins with Cicero's Verrine Orations, an ancient example of forceful removal of material culture, before moving on to Napoleon, ‘who deserves the reputation for being the greatest looter of them all’ (p. 126). Next come two instances of plunder at the hands of British forces – the Benin Kingdom in 1897 and the Chinese Summer Palace in 1860 – resulting in many looted artworks making their way into public and private collections. Although present conditions have improved, due in part to international agreements such as the 1954 Hague Convention and the 1970 UNESCO Convention, looting continues from both archaeological sites and museums, even outside of war-torn regions. J. does discuss some high-profile returns related to more recent looting, but, almost dismissively, warns that ‘Seeing all activity through loot-tinted glasses can mean that the reality of a situation is misunderstood’ (p. 159).
Part 2 focuses on ideological struggles surrounding museums, with the ‘central argument of this book [being] that the negative cloud surrounding museum institutions is as damaging to their work as are the specific claims for the return of ancient treasures’ (p. 181). No claims receive as much attention as those for the Elgin Marbles, which J. contends should remain in London. Following John Henry Merryman's ‘triad of regulatory imperatives’, she maintains that the present split between Athens and London best serves ‘the object, scholars, and the public’ (pp. 248–9). The final chapters deal with different means of atoning for past wrongs, especially those committed by colonial or imperial powers; these include the creation of so-called ‘identity museums’ dedicated to particular ethnic groups, and the repatriation of artefacts and human remains now thought to have been wrongly or forcibly acquired.
Unfortunately, the intended audience is unclear, with citations frequent in some sections, sparse in others. Additionally, arguments are often undermined by distracting errors, including misspelling of names (e.g. ‘Victorian and Albert Museum’ for ‘Victoria and Albert Museum’ [p. 4], ‘Euphronious’ for ‘Euphronios’ [p. 157], ‘McClennan’ for ‘McClellan’ [pp. 330, 353]); incorrect dating (e.g. placing Aristotle ‘1,500 years earlier’ than eighteenth-century museums [p. 37]); and misleading inconsistencies (e.g. the 1970 UNESCO Convention refers to country of modern discovery for ancient artefacts [as on p. 211], not place of production [as on p. 206]). Still, J. provides much to consider for scholars and a useful overview for students or laypeople not yet familiar with these debates, with ample bibliography for those more interested.
