09.30 In Public Displays We Trust: Universal Museums and Immigrants
Universal museums claim to be custodians of cultural heritage for the benefit of humanity and they thus have an obligation to address the voices of all stakeholders in relation to the objects that are in the possession of the museums. This paper will argue that if museum curators aim to achieve inclusivity, they should first address the phenomenon of epistemic injustice. Given that current accounts of archaeological ethics advocate the ethical significance of inclusivity, my concern is to investigate the limits of inclusivity in relation to epistemic injustice. My argument is based on the claim that museums seem to commit epistemic injustice against immigrants because they do not address sufficiently the immigrants’ contribution to the meaning of objects to which they are related.
For immigrants who have moved from their place of origin, artifacts and objects of cultural significance, broadly construed, that are found in the collections of museums in the countries where they immigrated are significant. They contribute to their identity by supporting the thread of their life narrative with their place of birth. They also provide them with a sense of belonging to the same ethnicity by representing what unites them. Hence, objects shape immigrants’ identity in their new country, and at the same time, the meaning of objects is shaped by immigrants and their old stories from their birthplace mixed with their new experiences of a new life abroad. If this is the case, museums tend to commit epistemic injustice against immigrants and therefore fail to be inclusive.
Drawing upon Christopher Hookway’s work on epistemic injustice, I will argue that museums can be charged with informational prejudice and participatory prejudice against immigrant communities. If it is central to the epistemic practice of museums to provide information about their objects, museums not only should allow immigrants to bring their stories related to the objects from their community, but also they need to allow sufficient space for the immigrants’ contribution to the meaning of these objects. Museums, however, tend to overlook immigrants’ information in relation to specific objects, claiming that their information is not relevant to the object from the museum perspective. This constitutes what Hookway understands as informational and participatory prejudices. If museums do not allow sufficient space for immigrants to shape the identity of the objects because their stories are not relevant to museum practice and because immigrants are seen as illegitimate informers for objects, they cannot claim that they are inclusive because they commit epistemic injustice against immigrants. A good example to elaborate my case here is the treasures of Benin in the British Museum. For Africans who originally come from West Africa, the plaques of Benin say something important about their identity as people who were trained for war. This is what still shapes their present identity and how they relate with these objects in their current status. However, the plaques of Benin are represented in a way that tells a story from the perspective of a public museum that assigns artistic meaning to the plaques, overlooking what African immigrants can bring to the meaning of these objects.
If I am correct, my conclusion would be that epistemic justice is central to good heritage stewardship and it would be possible to amend epistemic prejudices if we develop a model of stewardship that is grounded on care and respect. A successful development of a caring and respectful relationship depends on epistemic trust, because giving credibility to what one says is central to mutual understanding.
"Muziki wa Universal unajulikana kama ""Muziki wa Umma Tunaoamini: Makumbusho ya Ulimwenguni na Wahamiaji"" na unadai kuwa walinzi wa urithi wa kitamaduni kwa manufaa ya ubinadamu na kwa hivyo wana wajibu wa kushughulikia sauti za wadau wote kuhusiana na vitu ambavyo viko katika milki ya makumbusho." Karatasi hii itasema kwamba kama wasimamizi wa makumbusho lengo la kufikia ujumuishaji, wanapaswa kwanza kushughulikia jambo la epistemic ukosefu wa haki. Kwa kuzingatia kwamba akaunti za sasa za maadili ya akiolojia zinatetea umuhimu wa maadili wa ujumuishaji, wasiwasi wangu ni kuchunguza mipaka ya ujumuishaji kuhusiana na ukosefu wa haki wa epistemic. """Muziki unaonekana kufanya ukosefu wa haki dhidi ya wahamiaji kwa sababu haijalishi vya kutosha mchango wa wahamiaji kwa maana ya vitu ambavyo vinahusiana." Kwa wahamiaji ambao wamehamia kutoka mahali pa asili yao, vitu vya kale na vitu vya umuhimu wa kitamaduni, kwa ufafanuzi mkubwa, ambavyo hupatikana katika makusanyo ya makumbusho katika nchi ambazo walihamia ni muhimu. Wao huchangia utambulisho wao kwa kuunga mkono nyuzi ya hadithi yao ya maisha na mahali pao pa kuzaliwa. Pia huwapa hisia ya kuwa wa kabila moja kwa kuwakilisha kile kinachowatunga pamoja. Kwa hivyo, vitu huunda utambulisho wa wahamiaji katika nchi yao mpya, na wakati huo huo, maana ya vitu huundwa na wahamiaji na hadithi zao za zamani kutoka mahali pa kuzaliwa kwao iliyochanganywa na uzoefu wao mpya wa maisha mapya nje ya nchi. Kama hii ni kesi, makumbusho huwa na kufanya epistemic ukosefu wa haki dhidi ya wahamiaji na kwa hiyo kushindwa kuwa pamoja. Kutegemea kazi ya Christopher Hookway juu ya ukosefu wa haki ya epistemic, nitazungumzia kwamba makumbusho yanaweza kushtakiwa kwa upendeleo wa habari na upendeleo wa ushiriki dhidi ya jamii za wahamiaji. Ikiwa ni muhimu kwa mazoezi ya epistemic ya makumbusho kutoa habari kuhusu vitu vyao, makumbusho haipaswi tu kuruhusu wahamiaji kuleta hadithi zao zinazohusiana na vitu kutoka kwa jamii yao, lakini pia wanahitaji kuruhusu nafasi ya kutosha kwa mchango wa wahamiaji kwa maana ya vitu hivi. Makumbusho, hata hivyo, huwa na kupuuza habari za wahamiaji kuhusiana na vitu maalum, wakidai kwamba habari zao hazifai kwa kitu kutoka kwa mtazamo wa makumbusho. Hii ni nini Hookway anaelewa kama habari na ushiriki ubaguzi. """Ikiwa makumbusho hayaruhusu nafasi ya kutosha kwa wahamiaji kuunda utambulisho wa vitu kwa sababu hadithi zao hazifai kwa mazoezi ya makumbusho na kwa sababu wahamiaji wanaonekana kama waandishi wa habari wasio halali kwa vitu, hawawezi kudai kuwa ni wa jumla kwa sababu wanafanya ukosefu wa haki wa epistemic dhidi ya wahamiaji." Mfano mzuri wa kueleza kesi yangu hapa ni hazina za Benin katika Jumba la Makumbusho la Uingereza. Kwa Waafrika ambao awali wanatoka Afrika Magharibi, mabamba ya Benin yanasema kitu muhimu kuhusu utambulisho wao kama watu ambao walizoezwa kwa ajili ya vita. Hii ni nini bado fomu utambulisho wao wa sasa na jinsi wao kuhusiana na vitu hivi katika hali yao ya sasa. Hata hivyo, mabamba ya Benin yanawakilishwa kwa njia inayosimulia hadithi kutoka kwa mtazamo wa makumbusho ya umma ambayo hutoa maana ya kisanii kwa mabamba, ikipuuza kile wahamiaji wa Kiafrika wanaweza kuleta kwa maana ya vitu hivi. Kama mimi ni sahihi, hitimisho langu itakuwa kwamba epistemic haki ni muhimu kwa ajili ya urithi mzuri usimamizi na itakuwa inawezekana kurekebisha upendeleo epistemic kama sisi kuendeleza mfano wa usimamizi kwamba ni msingi juu ya huduma na heshima. Maendeleo ya mafanikio ya uhusiano wa kujali na kuheshimu hutegemea uaminifu wa epistemic, kwa sababu kutoa uaminifu kwa kile mtu anasema ni muhimu kwa uelewevu wa pande zote.