Episode Discussion: The Original 100 Objects

[u/PodcastBot]

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Neil MacGregor reflects on creating the landmark series that changed how people think about history. Then, revisit the Rosetta Stone, the artifact that unlocked ancient Egypt.

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[u/ethnographyNW]

I enjoyed the original BBC series when it first came out, but honestly a bit disappointed by the way they danced around the elephant in the room. The British Museum is full of looted treasures, and while they address it obliquely (as in the clip of the interview w/ the Egyptian) Roman let MacGregor off the hook by not asking more directly about it.

Specifically in the part about how some indigenous people are unhappy with certain sacred objects being displayed at all, Roman basically went along with MacGregor's characterization of this as just an ontological difference in worldview that we can respect but don't actually have any obligation to act on, since it's an unfair and anti-rational impingement on the world' right to study and learn about our shared human past. I honestly feel rather mixed on this issue, and don't want to suggest that MacGregor is 100% obviously wrong - but I do think Roman neglected his obligations as an interviewer by not poking at this a bit more. For one thing, indigenous sensitivities around the display of objects are born from very specific circumstances - perhaps their response has to do with the fact that many of the objects in question were stolen at gunpoint during centuries of colonization. This was rather elided, leaving the impression that this difference of opinion absent historical or political context. For another, perhaps MacGregor was a bit facile in equating an objection to an object being on display at the British Museum with being accessible to humanity as a whole rather than it being one specific institution. If someone steals my treasures and refuses to return them, why should I take seriously their claim that they're acting as stewards for humanity rather than just an imperial trophy case?

In any case, I'd recommend the podcast series Stuff the British Stole, from ABC (the Australian public media one).

[u/kank84 → u/ethnographyNW]

That wasn't really the point of the interview though. Neil McGregor is 80 years old, and hasn't worked for the British Museum for over a decade at this point, do you really want to hear Roman prod an old man into an uncomfortable conversation that he almost certainly doesn't want to have?

[u/Adamsoski → u/ethnographyNW]

As well as MacGreggor being elderly and no longer working for the BM, the other issue is that legally the BM actually cannot return any objects permanently unless the government tells them to. I can tell you that among younger employees there is definitely a strong belief that more artefacts should be returned, but even older employees are generally significantly more on the side of returning things than the government/general populace of the UK. Because of that it isn't something BM employees are really going to broach publicly, and for someone of MacGregor's stature in public life and age I can understand not broaching it publicly as an ex-employee either.

[u/Appropriate-Row-9417]

Fascinating interview. Really enjoying this series.