TOWARDS EPISTEMIC REPATRIATION: RE/MEMBERING AS THE MORAL RESPONSIBILITY OF MUSEUMS
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Authors
Bongani, Mkhonza
Issue Date
2021-12-01
Type
Language
en
Keywords
Research Subject Categories::INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AREAS
Alternative Title
Abstract
The idea of a modern museum originated from exploration, science, art and western curiosities. Museums in Europe and former colonies,
from modern to postmodern times are still to a greater extent grounded on the colonial logic. What is the highest moral responsibility
of museums towards the decolonisation project? Is it to the work of ‘universally’ acquiring, collecting, and cataloguing works of art? Or
merely to gather works of art without considering the spiritual and historical relevance, with no reference to the cultural experiences of
their creators? Such questions are linked to Euro-Western’s idea of progress as justified by many global museums and their claims of
‘universality’. This paper interrogates the proclamations advanced by the philosopher, Hegel’s notions of universalism and examines critical
arguments of the moral responsibility of the Afrocentric museum. Afrocentric museums refer to those that are epistemically located in
the African paradigm of thought and culture and within a specific Afrocentric context, art, people and culture co-exist as one unit. Thus,
the spirit of artworks remains with the people who create them. However, it is further argued that the looting of African art by imperial
collectors ‘dismembered’ the objects from their spirituality. Thus, the dismembering of spiritual elements and sometimes rituals from the
objects are to be understood to have resulted in epistemicide. This destruction, annihilation, silencing or devaluing of knowledge is brought
about by dislocating African art from its original cultural environment. The article proposes the concept of ‘epistemic repatriation’ as one
of the empirical interventions towards the advancement of re/remembering as a moral responsibility of South African Museums and that
of the wider art and cultural heritage sector.
Description
This is a Research Article published by the South African Museums Association (2021)
Authored by Bongani Mkhonza (PhD): Art and Philosophy
University of South Africa
Department of Art and Music
College of Human Sciences
Pretoria
South Africa
Keywords: Afrocentricity; Repatriation; Epistemide; African Art; Spirit; Re/membering.
Citation
Publisher
South African Museums Bulletin (SAMAB)
License
Journal
Volume
Issue
PubMed ID
DOI
ISSN
0258-5049