Dr. Herlihy Presents First of Series of Lectures on World Travels
February 22, 2008
Having recently returned from her whirlwind trip around the world, on February 20th Louise Doherty Wyant Professor Dr. Patricia Herlihy presented the first of five lectures relating to her journey. The title of her first lecture was "Stolen Memory and the Repatriation of Art, Archives and Artifacts," which provided a historical look at the world's approach to national artifact restitution.
Traveling as a trip leader with Brown University's "Brown Travelers," an educational program that provides worldwide travel opportunities for alumni, Herlihy, professor emerita of history at Brown, contributed a number of key discussions relevant to some of the 15 different locations the group visited during its 23-day excursion from January 5th-27th.
Her conversation on archive restoration pertained to the group's opening stop in Peru, where items excavated at Machu Picchu by former U.S. Senator and Yale University history professor Hiram Bingham III nearly 100 years ago have recently led to much friction between representatives of the country and university. An exhibit that opened at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale a few years ago, which featured artifacts from Bingham's historical 1912 dig, brought the ire of the Peruvian government, which threatened legal actions two years ago if the university did not comply with its demands and return the borrowed objects.
This past September, the Government of Peru and Yale University reached a collaborative agreement to co-sponsor an exhibition that would travel internationally and include objects from Hiram's excavation. The items will remain at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale until late 2009.
Looking back over history, Herlihy discussed the global perspective on recovering historical pieces, stating that since the 1940s the world has had an "obsession about claiming artifacts."
"Nations want to lay claim to their possessions and they will go to great lengths to reserve their national memory," she said.
While issues concerning the displacement of artifacts from World War II continue to come forth, Herlihy noted that most countries have remained amicable about decisions of rightful restoration despite the lack of legally binding laws on the matter. Countries such as Russia, however, remain adamant that such property be viewed as "trophies of war" and will only discuss restitution as long as it receives something comparable in return - much to the disagreement of Herlihy.
"Art, archives and artifacts all constitute the stuff of which history is woven…Nations have a right to their history," she said.
Herlihy's next lecture entitled, "Through Kindergarten Eyes: China in the 1930s," will take place on Wednesday, March 19th at 12:00 p.m. in the Modular Meeting Space.