Contested Collections: Grappling With History and Forging Pathways for Repatriation

Repatriation has increasingly become an important topic in the museum, anthropology and archaeology worlds, yet it is but a blip on the radar in library and archive circles. In conjunction with its return of Judaica items to the Jewish Museum in Prague (JMP), UCLA Library’s International & Area Studies department hosted an online symposium featuring international experts who discussed the complicated histories of Western cultural heritage collections, the expropriation of artifacts through colonialism and war, the politics and ethics of ownership and restitution and decolonization in libraries, archives and museums. Using case studies as the bases for these discussions, the symposium intends to bring greater awareness of these issues within libraries and archives. Scholars in anthropology, archaeology, area studies, art history, history, Indigenous studies, information studies, law and museum studies may also find it of interest.

The symposium consists of four sessions spread out over three days. The first two panels focus on the historical roots of the problem and the current calls for rectification. The latter two focus on existing and potential pathways for repatriation.

Presented by UCLA Library and UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies.

UCLA Library acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (the Los Angeles basin and So. Channel Islands). As a land grant institution, we pay our respects to the Honuukvetam (Ancestors), ‘Ahiihirom (Elders) and ‘Eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present and emerging.