Objectifs :
Berlin’s state museums, largely composed of artifacts from former German colonies, have faced intense pressure to ensure transparency about the imperial history of their collections and commit to returning looted objects. Provenance research focuses on colonial collections, particularly from former German colonies like Tanzania and Namibia. The project encompasses systematic provenance research across multiple institutions within the Berlin State Museums complex, particularly focusing on ethnological collections.
Mesures de restitution :
Comprehensive collection inventories, collaborative research partnerships with origin communities, public transparency initiatives, and concrete restitution examples. Digital publication of collection holdings and archives to make them globally accessible.
Limitations du cadre :
The massive scale of collections requiring research, competing institutional priorities, complex legal frameworks governing state-owned cultural property, potential public and political resistance to large-scale returns, and the challenge of balancing educational missions with restitution obligations while maintaining meaningful collections for German audiences. No international legal regime exists for cultural objects removed during colonial times, unlike war-time looting or present-day trafficking.
