«Putting it all back where it belongs»: Repatriation of Cultural Objects in the Relations between the UK and Latin American and Caribbean States

Abstract

The relations of the UK with the majority of Latin American and Caribbean states are not marked by traumatic narratives directly related to colonial dependence, but in recent years the problem of repatriation of cultural objects has become more acute: indigenous communities and civil activists are putting pressure on the British government and museums to return cultural property to the countries of origin. The factor that mitigates the confrontational nature of the problem is the proactive policy of British museums aimed at implementing joint projects with indigenous communities of Latin American and Caribbean states. Nevertheless, many of them are aimed at promoting Western narratives and approaches to the «decolonization of art». British museums also make a major contribution to the dissemination of information about the history and culture of Latin American peoples, both to tourists from around the world and to South American diasporas in the UK. At the same time, as a multipolar international order is being formed, the impact of the problem of repatriation of cultural objects on the UK’s relations with Latin American and Caribbean states will increase: the lack of an effective international legal framework to resolve these contradictions will become more and more acute. A potential method of reducing the resulting tension in the bilateral relations between London and Latin American and Caribbean states may be the transfer of objects on long-term lease or voluntary withdrawal of the British side from the possession of artifacts — in case appropriate changes in the domestic legislation of Great Britain are made.

Keywords

• museums
• repatriation
• national identity
• cultural objects
• decolonization
• postcolonial studies
• united kingdom
• chile
• argentina
• jamaica
• mexico