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Restitution and cultural heritage policy within museums: administrative recommendations for collections management staff
Thesis   Open access

Restitution and cultural heritage policy within museums: administrative recommendations for collections management staff

Caitlin Mara Bellet
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Dec 2019
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/gnhs-7g38
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Abstract

Arts--Management Museums--Collection management Cultural property Restitution
The purpose of this study is to investigate the ways in which museum administrators and collections managers address and implement current restitution practices when dealing with issues of cultural heritage and repatriation. The objective of this thesis was developed in order to further research how various museums have trained their collections management staff to address issues of restitution and cultural heritage policy and how such practices affect the legal, curatorial, and general institutional approaches that museum take when met with such issues. Four museums of various size and specialty were selected based on their past and current involvement with addressing and implementing restitution practices. Interviews were conducted over the phone and in person with one or two staff members from each museum. The findings were comprised as comparative case studies for each institution. My core findings of research show that collections managers and other museum staff believe that there are numerous ways to go about addressing issues of restitution and cultural heritage. Similarities in this practice come from a commitment to thorough research on all objects within their respective collections, open communication with museum audiences, and internal collaboration. The results also reveal that the museum field still has to work on allocating financial and legal resources for all cultural institutions regardless of size so that all collections can be researched, displayed, and occasionally restituted at the same level as one another. I suggest that museums with the means and resources to conduct and implement current restitution practices to their full ability should strive to assist other institutions that do not have the proper resources and manpower needed to address such issues in a timely and legal matter so that all collections and cultural groups involved in restitution issues are able to work together to provide transparency and viable outcomes for all parties involved.

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