Plunder? : How Museums Got Their Treasures

Author: Jacobs, Justin M.

Museums & museology

Published on 1 August 2024 by REAKTION BOOKS in the United Kingdom.

Hardback | 240 pages, 49 illustrations
225 x 150 x 20 | 416g

In this thought-provoking new work, historian Justin M. Jacobs challenges the widely accepted belief that much of Western museums’ treasures were acquired by imperialist plunder and theft. The account re-examines the allegedly immoral provenance of Western collections, advocating for a nuanced understanding of how artefacts reached Western shores. Jacobs examines the perspectives of Chinese, Egyptian and other participants in the global antiquities trade over the past two and a half centuries, revealing that Western collectors were often willingly embraced by locals. This collaborative dynamic, largely ignored by contemporary museum critics, unfolds a narrative of hope and promise for a brighter, more equitable future – a compelling reassessment of one of the institutional pillars of the Enlightenment.