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Losing our marbles: Should Britain send back its museum loot?
Season 1 · Episode 862

Losing our marbles: Should Britain send back its museum loot?

The Bunker – News without the nonsense

February 14, 202329m 10s

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Show Notes

Activists have demanded the return of contentious museum objects for decades – why are museums now starting to listen? Arthur Snell is joined by Dan Hicks, professor of contemporary archaeology and author of The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution, to bring some much needed clarity to a debate beset by culture war clashes. 

  • “Museums are moving with the time, but some on the hard right are weaponising the debate.”
  • “In the 19th century, museums were put to work towards cultural supremacy – we now recognise this as wrong, so we have to move forward.”
  • “You wouldn’t tell a biologist the latest developments in their field.”
  • “There is so much ‘whataboutism’ in this debate – and time's up.”


For 20% off the book add the code BUNKER20 here: https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745341767/the-brutish-museums/ 


Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters production.

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