Art objects, ritual objects, objects of memory: how can we rethink their history beyond the categories that have shaped our view of art and heritage?
What is returned when an object is given back to its community of origin? Beyond the legal and political issues, the question of restitution invites us to examine the very status of objects kept in museums, the narratives that surround them, and the ways they are viewed.
The fourth discussion in the #Restitutions cycle, Une autre définition du monde, offers a multidisciplinary reflection on the notions of "œuvre" and "objet d'art", taking into account the cultural, ritual, political and social meanings that communities attribute to these objects. Many goods now presented as works of art in the museums of former colonial powers originally had ritual, political or social functions. Their exhibition helped to transform their status.