For this paper, read the articles linked below as well as the articles included as attachments and watch the short video linked below. These are selected from MANY newspaper, magazine, and academic articles about the issue (in addition to these, feel free to seek out others online). They deal primarily with the British Museum, and issues surrounding the return of objects to Nigeria, Egypt, and Greece:
https://www.history.com/news/british-museum-stolen-artifacts-nigeria (Links to an external site<https://www.history.com/news/british-museum-stolen-artifacts-nigeria>.)
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/british-museum-wont-return-elgin-marbles-1449919 (Links to an external site.)<https://news.artnet.com/art-world/british-museum-wont-return-elgin-marbles-1449919>
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/daily-videos/greece-seeks-to-bring-back-ancient-parthenon-sculptures-from-britain/
After reading these articles and watching the video clip, write a brief (400-500 word) response paper in which you address the following questions (and consider your answers carefully – these are complicated issues with little straightforward resolution):
-What are some of the arguments made for and against the return of artworks stolen or taken in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries? Which arguments (for either side) do you find most convincing? Is there anything that has been left out that you think needs to be considered?
-What factors do you think need to be taken into consideration when considering whether an individual artwork or object should be returned to its place or origin? Are there some categories of artworks that it makes more sense to return than others? Give specific examples from the sources (you don’t have to discuss EVERY source your read, but you should discuss more than one, certainly).
