Repatriation, Public Programming, and the DEAI Toolkit

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article, prepared in the form of a conversation among the authors, discusses the role of a museum’s repatriation of human remains or sacred objects to Indigenous communities in their efforts around Diversity, Equity, Access ibility, and Inclusion (DEAI). Presenting case studies from their museums or from their own research in Germany and the US, the authors observe that public programming, working in concert with repatriation, can become a tool for increasing DEAI in museums with benefits for source communities, as well as for museum visitors and staff. Given the scarcity of research literature on repatriation-centered programming and the fact that their case studies often comprised first steps in their institutions’ repatriation efforts, the contributors call for further study of public programming and its potential to facilitate the repatriation process.