This essay explores two recent examples of claims for the return of objects in the
context of larger historical and political struggles: the repatriation of cultural
property to indigenous groups, and the restitution of artworks taken from Jews by
the Nazis prior to and during the Second World War. The issues hinge on
people’s agency to make object return address wider efforts toward
self-determination, remembrance, and political redress. Despite important
historical, social, and structural differences, these two situations display some
startling similarities. I focus here on the discursive construction of the
issues–attending to the language of claims for return–as a means
of interrogating the term ‘cultural property’ and highlighting
some strategies involved in its deployment. I also suggest ways in which the
cultural frame of ‘art’ adds significant value to the objects in
question, while deflecting attention from some political and economic factors
involved in their (e)valuation.
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