Knowledge, ethics, and power: publishing African objects without clear African provenance
Knowledge, ethics, and power: publishing African objects without clear African provenance
In light of current debates surrounding collecting histories and possible restitution of cultural heritage, it is not a stretch to say that our field is in the midst of a significant self-reevaluation. This journal is no exception. African Arts currently has no policy requiring authors to document the provenance of objects addressed in its pages, although the editorial consortium has initiated the adoption of a set of standards. While unease over publishing works of questionable provenance is not new, the concern is a particularly vital one for African Arts, which publishes scores of high-quality color images in each issue, both online and in print.
17-23
Homann, Lisa
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Borgatti, Jean
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Ogundiran, Akinwumi
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Forni, Silvia
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Slogar, Christopher
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Ogbechie, Sylvester Okwunodu
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Joy, Charlotte
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MacDonald, Kevin
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1 October 2020
Homann, Lisa
eb80e4c0-43c0-411b-a025-7013a099ea13
Borgatti, Jean
94d4ca12-7095-4fe2-851c-ffda40522691
Ogundiran, Akinwumi
87c30f2e-1003-409c-b433-eb4d38ab0b82
Forni, Silvia
d29dc192-4c60-4998-bd12-cb9236e7c6f6
Slogar, Christopher
03b783cc-689f-49a4-a770-9d97d59e4066
Ogbechie, Sylvester Okwunodu
b0274676-193b-4795-95a0-758e3ea95d0f
Joy, Charlotte
0fb29802-c853-43eb-b78f-601e49d9f776
MacDonald, Kevin
76c84116-aad1-4973-b917-7ca63935dba5
Homann, Lisa, Borgatti, Jean, Ogundiran, Akinwumi, Forni, Silvia, Slogar, Christopher, Ogbechie, Sylvester Okwunodu, Joy, Charlotte and MacDonald, Kevin
(2020)
Knowledge, ethics, and power: publishing African objects without clear African provenance.
African Arts, 53 (4), .
(doi:10.1162/afar_a_00548).
Abstract
In light of current debates surrounding collecting histories and possible restitution of cultural heritage, it is not a stretch to say that our field is in the midst of a significant self-reevaluation. This journal is no exception. African Arts currently has no policy requiring authors to document the provenance of objects addressed in its pages, although the editorial consortium has initiated the adoption of a set of standards. While unease over publishing works of questionable provenance is not new, the concern is a particularly vital one for African Arts, which publishes scores of high-quality color images in each issue, both online and in print.
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Published date: 1 October 2020
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 511444
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/511444
ISSN: 0001-9933
PURE UUID: 54417062-7138-41c2-9559-16d1521e1b06
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Date deposited: 14 May 2026 16:42
Last modified: 15 May 2026 02:10
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Contributors
Author:
Lisa Homann
Author:
Jean Borgatti
Author:
Akinwumi Ogundiran
Author:
Silvia Forni
Author:
Christopher Slogar
Author:
Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie
Author:
Charlotte Joy
Author:
Kevin MacDonald
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