As week 4 has begun to settle in the weight of needing to decide what I want to do my thesis on settles in as well. When I began this semester, I was trying to think in more depth about what I'm interested in and what I can write that will keep me interested and how I can turn that into a thesis. I had a couple of different ideas, each touching on things I had thought about in the past and things that had once meant something to me, but moving forward I think I know what I want to do. What I needed to determine for the project is what I actually felt a personal stake in. Moving forward my topic is shaping up to be along the lines of:
A look into repatriation of non-Native artifacts, what can we do and what are our obligations to the objects when economically repatriation is not possible. How can modern technology help us do right by the objects and their homes?
The wording needs some work but the idea is there at least. I have talked with friends over the years about the mummy that lives in our home town, how weird it is and how ethically it feels a little off. But in talking about it and what we could do we always knew that sending them home wasn't economically an option for the small library at all. So taking on this project would finally allow me to answer the question "Alright, we can't send Hen back, but what can we do?"
Hi Mandy,
ReplyDeleteConversations about repatriation are so important and always worth being had, no matter the nature/reputation of the institution. I love that you're looking to apply these ideas and facilitate these conversations in your home town library.
I can't wait to see where you go from here!:)
Landyn
Hi Mandy, it would be worthwhile to look at the recent discussions through ICOM's conference (recently held in Kyoto) to bring the discussion of museums in the 21st century into the discussion. What is the new proposed definition of a museum, why does this matter for the topic you are proposing? And, when you say non-Native, do you mean objects such as the Elgin Marbles which were moved from Greece to England and are not native to England? Or, do you mean something else? -- Dr. Decker
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