Curating Empire: How Ancient States Are Collected, Exhibited, and Contested Today MTA
A critical guide to museum practices, repatriation debates, and public history of ancient empires

About this book:

*Curating Empire* offers a timely and critical examination of how museums collect, exhibit, and interpret the artifacts of ancient civilizations, revealing the deep entanglements between these practices and the legacies of colonialism. Beginning with the ancient origins of collecting and the transition from royal cabinets to public museums, the book meticulously unpacks how imperial expansion fueled the acquisition of vast ancient collections, often through looting, coercion, and unequal power dynamics. It illuminates the contentious legal and ethical frameworks that govern cultural property today, exploring how objects traveled across continents and the powerful political narratives crafted around them within museum spaces.

The book delves into the profound ethical challenges surrounding the display of human remains and sacred objects, advocating for respectful engagement and the prioritization of origin communities' voices. Through compelling case studies like the Parthenon Marbles, the Benin Bronzes, and Indigenous heritage in settler-colonial states, it illustrates the complexities of repatriation debates, showcasing both intractable impasses and pathways to restorative justice. *Curating Empire* also explores the transformative potential of digital technologies and participatory curation, urging museums to confront colonial amnesia and embrace difficult histories. Ultimately, it reimagines museums as dynamic spaces for justice, dialogue, and repair, offering a critical guide for professionals and the public to navigate the evolving ethical landscape of ancient heritage in the twenty-first century.

What You'll Find Inside:

• Explore how major museum collections of ancient empires were profoundly shaped by colonial-era looting, coercion, and unequal power dynamics.
• Understand the complex legal and ethical frameworks surrounding cultural property, including international conventions and national repatriation laws like NAGPRA.
• Examine the 'universal museum' debate versus cultural nationalism, illustrated by high-profile cases like the Parthenon Marbles and the Benin Bronzes.
• Learn how museums are decolonizing their practices, centering origin communities, and confronting 'colonial amnesia' to present more inclusive and just narratives.
• Discover the transformative role of digital technologies in documentation, access, and participatory curation, and the ethical challenges they present for ancient heritage.

Who's It For:

This book is essential reading for museum professionals, art historians, archaeologists, and students of cultural heritage studies interested in the ethical complexities of ancient empire collections. It is also highly relevant for general readers, policymakers, and members of origin communities seeking to understand the historical context, current debates, and future directions for the stewardship and interpretation of contested cultural property in a postcolonial world.