Presentation Title
Displaying Stolen Objects: How a Dogon Metal Staff Incites a History of Colonialism and Burgeoning Culture of Repatriation
Abstract
This presentation will discuss a Dogon metal staff depicting a small figure with upraised arms which is part of a handful of Dogon pieces in the UVM Fleming Museum’s collection. My research examines the cultural context in which the item was created as well as the religious practices associated with it. At the same time, I am investigating issues concerning the display of the staff in the Fleming’s Africa gallery, with a particular focus on the history of how it came to be in the museum’s collection. In my presentation I will explore antiquities markets and art museums as both spaces for violence and with the potential for rectifying this violence with research and proper representation. I will also discuss how collections of artifacts might make their way back to their homelands, and ask whether that could be an option for an object with no background information such as this Dogon staff.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Vicki Brennan
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Second Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Program/Major
Religion
Second Program/Major
Anthropology
Primary Research Category
Arts & Humanities
Displaying Stolen Objects: How a Dogon Metal Staff Incites a History of Colonialism and Burgeoning Culture of Repatriation
This presentation will discuss a Dogon metal staff depicting a small figure with upraised arms which is part of a handful of Dogon pieces in the UVM Fleming Museum’s collection. My research examines the cultural context in which the item was created as well as the religious practices associated with it. At the same time, I am investigating issues concerning the display of the staff in the Fleming’s Africa gallery, with a particular focus on the history of how it came to be in the museum’s collection. In my presentation I will explore antiquities markets and art museums as both spaces for violence and with the potential for rectifying this violence with research and proper representation. I will also discuss how collections of artifacts might make their way back to their homelands, and ask whether that could be an option for an object with no background information such as this Dogon staff.