Download the Conference Programme
Download the Conference Handbook (including abstracts, speakers biographies, ev
Films at Reception (Thursday 8th July 6pm, Martin Harris Centre)
Q+A Session on restitution legislation (Friday 9th July, Lunch time, Manchester
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You didn't manage to attend the conference, but you are interested in its proceedings? Then, please have a look at the Institute for Cultural Practices Blog, where we have blogged the conference.
The conference's twitter hashtag is #mrest for anyone who would like to follow it on twitter.
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Overview
Museums and Restitution is a two-day international conference organised by the Centre for Museology and The Manchester Museum at the University of Manchester. The conference examines the issue of restitution in relation to the changing role and authority of the museum, focussing on new ways in which these institutions are addressing the subject.
Restitution is one of the most emotive and complex issues facing the museum world in the twenty first century. Its current high profile reflects changing global power relations and the increasingly vocal criticisms of the historical concentration of the world's heritage in the museums of the West. The 2002 Declaration of the Importance and Value of Universal Museums, which was signed by the directors of eighteen of the world's most prominent museums, pushed the subject to the forefront of debate as never before.
Over recent years, the issue of restitution has taken on a new complexion with different processes emerging. We have seen an increasing emphasis on museums working with source communities, and with new forms of restitution other than object restitution - such as visual and knowledge restitution. The language of discussion too has changed, with the term 'reunification', for example, rather than 'repatriation' now often being used in relation to the Parthenon Marbles. The opening of New Acropolis Museum in Athens in June 2009 has added a further dimension to the debates. We are also seeing new countries gaining increasing prominence in restitution debates: for example, the official response from the government of the People's Republic of China to the Yves Saint Laurent auction of Chinese looted bronzes at Christie's in Paris in March 2009. This is a trend clearly set to continue.
This conference will bring together museum professionals and academics from a wide range of fields (including museology, archaeology, anthropology, art history and cultural policy) to share ideas on contemporary approaches to restitution from the viewpoint of museums.
Panel Topics
- Power, Politics Authority
- Reflections on returns
- Digital, visual and knowledge repatriation
- Local and national power relations
- Second World War spoliation
- The Parthenon Marbles
- Africa and India
- North America
Lunch-Time Discussion on Washington Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art, Prague's Terezin Declaration and latest legislation. Q+A Session on restitution legislation (Friday 9th July, Lunch time, Manchester.
Keynote Speakers
- Tristram Besterman (Former Director, The Manchester Museum. Writer, adviser and mediator on museums and cultural issues)
Title of Keynote: 'Cultural equity: an ethical paradigm for the sustainable museum'
- Prof. Piotr Bienkowski (Former Deputy Director, The Manchester Museum. Cultural, heritage and museums consultant, writer and researcher and Honorary Professor at the University of Manchester)
Title of Keynote: 'Authority and the Power of Place: Exploring the Legitimacy of Authorised and Alternative Voices in the Restitution Discourse'
- Maurice Davies (Head of Policy and Communication, Museums Association)
Maurice will lead the onference closing session and discussion on Friday 9th July
Programme Panel
- Dr Sam Alberti, The Manchester Museum / Centre for Museology
- Dr Kostas Arvanitis, Centre for Museology
- Malcolm Chapman, The Manchester Museum
- Dr Zachary Kingdon, National Museums Liverpool
- Dr Helen Rees Leahy, Centre for Museology
- Prof. Sharon Macdonald, Social Anthropology
- Louise Tythacott, Centre for Museology
Registration
Standard Registration Fee: £100 (£50 per day)
Student Registration Fee: £50 (£25 per day)
Please complete the conference booking form and e-mail it as an attachment to:
Hannah Mansell at: Hannah.mansell@manchester.ac.uk
Or post it to:
Hannah Mansell,
Martin Harris Centre,
The University of Manchester,
Oxford Road,
Manchester
M13 9PL
UK.
Tel.: + 44 (0)161 275 3319
Key Dates
| Call for Papers Deadline: | 11th December 2009 |
| Notification of Acceptance: | March 2010 |
| Registration Opens: | March 2010 |
| Registration Closes: | June 2010 |
| Conference Dates: | 8-9 July 2010 |
Location
The conference will take place at the Manchester Museum
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Contact
If you have any enquiry about the conference, please contact Louise Tythacott louise.tythacott@manchester.ac.uk and Kostas Arvanitis kostas.arvanitis@manchester.ac.uk
If you have an enquiry about bookings, please contact Hannah Mansell at: Hannah.mansell@manchester.ac.uk
Blog and Twitter
The conference will be blogged on the Institute for Cultural Practices Blog. If you use twitter, you can follow news and share thoughts on the conference using the hashtag #mrest. See the latest tweets here