Museum of Restitution: Reflection and Reparations for French Colonial Extractions

Abstract

Europe’s museum collections were filled by extractive colonial practices. Cultural objects were gathered in European capitals under the guise of conservation and understanding the world. These foreign cultural artifacts would become integral and inalienable pieces in their collections. These objects, however, constitute stolen heritage alienated from their rightful place. Calls for restitution have been made and denied, until recently. The restitution of these artifacts plays an important role in the reflection on the extractive processes of colonization. Located in Paris, the proposed Musée de la Restitution serves as a site of dispersion for stolen artifacts, and a place of reflection on these extractions.