Guidelines on Dealing with Collections from Colonial Contexts

Guidelines on Dealing with Collections from Colonial Contexts Guidelines on Dealing with Collections from Colonial Contexts Imprint Guidelines on Dealing with Collections from Colonial Contexts Publisher: German Museums Association Contributing editors and authors: Working Group on behalf of the Board of the German Museums Association: Wiebke Ahrndt (Chair), Hans-Jörg Czech, Jonathan Fine, Larissa Förster, Michael Geißdorf, Matthias Glaubrecht, Katarina Horst, Melanie Kölling, Silke Reuther, Anja Schaluschke, Carola Thielecke, Hilke Thode-Arora, Anne Wesche, Jürgen Zimmerer External authors: Veit Didczuneit, Christoph Grunenberg Cover page: Two ancestor figures, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea, about 1900, © Übersee-Museum Bremen, photo: Volker Beinhorn Editing (German Edition): Sabine Lang Editing (English Edition*): TechniText Translations Translation: Translation service of the German Federal Foreign Office Design: blum design und kommunikation GmbH, Hamburg Printing: primeline print berlin GmbH, Berlin Funded by * parts edited: Foreword, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Background Information 4.4, Recommendations 5.2. Category 1 Returning museum objects © German Museums Association, Berlin, July 2018 ISBN 978-3-9819866-0-0 Content 4 Foreword – A preliminary contribution to an essential discussion 6 1. Introduction – An interdisciplinary guide to active engagement with collections from colonial contexts 9 2. Addressees and terminology 9 2.1 For whom are these guidelines intended? 9 2.2 What are historically and culturally sensitive objects? 11 2.3 What is the temporal and geographic scope of these guidelines? 11 2.4 What is meant by “colonial contexts”? 16 3. Categories of colonial contexts 16 Category 1: Objects from formal colonial rule contexts 18 Category 2: Objects from colonial contexts outside formal colonial rule 21 Category 3: Objects that reflect colonialism 23 3.1 Conclusion 23 3.2 Prioritisation when examining collections 24 4. Background information 24 4.1 European colonialism: Political, economic and cultural aspects of early globalisation 37 4.2 Collection history: The various types of museums and their “(post-) colonial heritage” 55 4.3 Provenance research – research sources, methods, possibilities 63 4.4 Collections from colonial contexts: Legal aspects 74 5. Recommendations for dealing with collections from colonial contexts 74 5.1 General recommendations 78 5.2 Questions and answers 78 Category 1: Objects from formal colonial rule contexts 102 Category 2: Objects from colonial contexts outside formal colonial rule 104 Category 3: Objects that reflect colonialism 110 Overview of formal colonial rule 126 Sources and selected further literature 128 Members of the working group of the German Museums Association Foreword A preliminary contribution to an indispensable discussion Since the 1990s, those affected by colonialism and its victims have increasingly been speaking out. The UN adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indi genous Peoples in 2007. A little later, the debate reached Germany, especially in the form of demands that ethnological museums face their colonial past. It was not only German museums which were often unprepared for this discussion. The German Museums Association believes that the historical examination of the colonial past of museums and their collections is vital. The time has come to make this issue better known in the museum landscape and to actively tackle it. These guidelines have two objectives: to heighten awareness among the institutions concerned and their staff, and to provide practical guidance to them. Many museum objects in Germany were collected between the 17th and the early 20th centuries. Collections from colonial contexts are found not only in ethno logical museums, but in all kinds of museums. The German Museums Associ ation therefore expressly addresses all museum and (university) collec tions with these guidelines. The intensive discussion during the drafting of these guidelines shows that only those who are prepared to change perspectives and hear nuances will better understand the actual magnitude of this issue and the questions it raises. Therefore, in this preliminary version, the German Museums Association begins by setting out its own position on this important and highly complex subject and presents it to international experts for debate. Of fundamental importance in dealing with collections from colonial contexts are provenance research and the digitisation of the collections. Both are essential for transparency and international dialogue on equal terms. Large gaps in both areas still complicate the process of assessing colonial collections. The bodies which oversee museums are called upon to provide the necessary financial and human resources for this. In addition, a German Federal Government policy on financial support is also required, because for the most this part concerns non-European collections and therefore also issues of relevance to Germany’s international relations. I would like to thank the members of the working group led by Prof. Wiebke Ahrndt, who have drawn up the guidelines on this extremely complex topic, and all those who wrote the individual articles for their collaborative work and 4 Guidelines on Dealing with Collections from Colonial Contexts their commit ment. Special thanks are due to Dr Anne Wesche for assuming the academic supervision of the project. This publication was made possible by the financial support of the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media; the English translation was com missioned from the translation service of the German Federal Foreign Office. Special thanks are due to both institutions. Prof. Eckart Köhne President of the German Museums Association 5 Guidelines on Dealing with Collections from Colonial Contexts 1. Introduction An interdisciplinary guide to active engagement with collections from colonial contexts Colonialism has shaped the modern world, defining today’s structures and perspectives, and is therefore not a footnote of history. These guidelines are the result of the realisation that objects from colonial contexts not only have their own his tory, but also have to be seen in a wider historical context. They bear witness to a value sys- tem in which, on the basis of an assumed superiority, colonial rulers placed themselves above other states and their populations or parts of the population, exploiting and oppressing them. The German Museums Association believes that the discussion about the colonial past of museums and their collections is essential. With regard to the colonial era, representatives of the communities from where these objects originate want to discuss their issues on an equal footing with the museums. It is by no means always simply a matter of returning these objects, but mostly about participation, involvement, negotiation processes, the prerogative to inter pret the past, and knowledge transfer. This provides a tremendous opportunity to learn more about the objects and their contexts, and to shape the future of the German museum landscape together. The ethnological museums are seen by many as the embodiment of colonial ex ploitation. But many other museums also have their roots in the colonial era. A large number of museum collections in Germany and other European countries were built up between the 17th and early 20th centuries – a period marked by European expansion. Thus, almost all types of museum have material from colonial contexts and a lot of different types of object must be considered. An overview of formal colonial rule at the end of these guidelines illustrates the global dimension of the phenomenon of “colonialism”. Objects that can be assigned a colonial context thus come from all over the world, not just from the former German colonies. In addition, there are objects that served the advancement of colonialism, such as technical equipment for transpor tation as well as weapons and uniforms. Moreover, there are objects which reflect colonial situations or which positively anchored colonialism in the public’s perception. Advertising should be mentioned here as well as works of visual and performing arts. The museums also have to realise that colonial situations rarely ended with for mal decolonisation and can have a lasting effect to the present day. The aim of this publication, therefore, is to raise awareness that a colo nial context can even be assigned to objects made or acquired after decolonisation or to objects from those countries that were themselves never subjected to formal colonial rule. 6 Guidelines on Dealing with Collections from Colonial Contexts This shows that even assigning an object to a colonial context may sometimes not be easy. Furthermore, establishing that there is a colonial context does not mean that the provenance should be categorised as problematic or that consideration should always be given to returning the object. Rather it is an indication that sensi- tivity and scrutiny are needed. These guidelines are intended to facilitate classifi- cation and decisions for dealing responsibly with objects from colonial contexts in museums and collections. The museums thus strengthen their awareness of history and problems in connection with colonial and post-colonial contexts in their work. The actual recommendations for action in chapter 5 are preceded by general comments that serve to improve understanding and raise awareness. Chapter 2 explains concepts that are mentioned throughout the follo wing

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