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jcampbell's review
informative
slow-paced
4.5
Really good book discussing how we need to change and adapt our understanding of museums as we consider how we return museum pieces to their home countries and communities, and reframe what remains to discuss provenance, importance and impact.
windspice's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Slavery and War
Minor: Cannibalism
aemac27's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
sarahhengle's review against another edition
4.5
very informative, very reflective on the systems of power that remain in place to erase history under the guise of preservation and education. Alongside all the information shared on the ways museums are failing; i was happy to learn about all of the groups fighting for repatriation and decolonization in these spaces.
im looking forward to exploring the other books in this series; 4.5/5
im looking forward to exploring the other books in this series; 4.5/5
agnewjacob120's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A must read for anyone wanting to work in or be involved with museums or galleries in any way. This nook provides a clear and easy to follow story and ideas for decolonizing museums, and our role as cultural workers in doing this (particularly as settler-colonialists trying to use our privilege to change things and amplify minority voices)
katischr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Very well written, comprehensively covers the main issues that museums need to face as institutions to truly decolonize themselves
anli_lia's review against another edition
4.0
If you’ve ever felt weird, or strangely guilty looking at the Ancient Egypt exhibit in Met, or wondered why the heck the Temple of Dendur ended up all the way in New York City- this book will explain why.
Learning about colonization through one of its main avenues: art, museums, aesthetics- was incredibly interesting. We all know that high school gave us a sanitized view of colonization, and this book gives us all the dirt.
Some takeaways:
- Reparations over repatriation.
- Aestheticizing cultural pieces is sanitizing/white washing
- Progress is being made, but protests and boycotts must continue to keep museums accountable.
- Artwashing is a gentrifier in LA (Chinatown, Boyle heights etc)
- The narrative that museums present about how objects in museums belong to “all humans” and should stay there for the sake of “celebrating universality of the human experience” is a distraction from the colonizer history of most stolen artifacts.
Learning about colonization through one of its main avenues: art, museums, aesthetics- was incredibly interesting. We all know that high school gave us a sanitized view of colonization, and this book gives us all the dirt.
Some takeaways:
- Reparations over repatriation.
- Aestheticizing cultural pieces is sanitizing/white washing
- Progress is being made, but protests and boycotts must continue to keep museums accountable.
- Artwashing is a gentrifier in LA (Chinatown, Boyle heights etc)
- The narrative that museums present about how objects in museums belong to “all humans” and should stay there for the sake of “celebrating universality of the human experience” is a distraction from the colonizer history of most stolen artifacts.