Dan Hicks's recent book The Brutish Museums (Pluto Press, 2020) has enlivened debates around the world about cultural restitution, repatriation, and the decolonization of museums. Join us for a conversation with Hicks about the lives of the curated spoils of extractive colonialism. We will discuss his extensive work on the Benin Bronzes, a collection of metal plaques and sculptures depicting the history of the Royal Court of the Obas of Benin City that was pillaged in 1897 during a British naval attack. The Benin Bronzes have been held in numerous museums and private collections, kept under plate glass. Now, thanks to the works of scholars and activists like Hicks, collections throughout the world are starting to return their loot to Nigeria.
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(Photo Credit: WikiCommons)
