Caribbean Archaeological Collections: History, Museums, and Politics

This symposium aims to bring together scholars working on the histories and movements of Caribbean archaeological objects and collections currently housed in museums. We are interested in tracing the multiple trajectories as well as the changing meanings and values ascribed to archaeological objects when ‘found’ outside the context of excavations.

What can contemporary Caribbean archaeology learn from historical and recent museum collections? How can objects without proper documentation or context contribute to our understanding of the history of the discipline? How are they socially and politically relevant today? How do recent technological innovations change the ways we look at and into objects? What is the future of archaeological collections from the Caribbean from a legal standpoint?

The papers in this panel look chiefly but not exclusively at collections that are presently located in museums outside the Caribbean - mainly in Europe and the United States. Finally, the symposium aims to discuss the legal issues and the possibilities regarding the ownership and display of Caribbean archaeological objects within the framework of the claims for repatriation and reparations.