Prof. Tony Platt - Bitter Legacies: Archaeology and the Politics of Reparations in the United States
| Datum | maandag 23 september 2013 |
|---|---|
| Tijd | 13:00 – 15:00 uur |
| Faculteit | Archeologie |
| Locatie | Museum Volkenkunde, Steenstraat 1, Leiden |
Guest Lecture by Prof. Tony Platt (San José State University, California)
Genocidal policies against Native peoples in the northwest United States in the mid-19th century were accompanied by expropriation of lands and exploitation of survivors, followed by the systematic looting in the 20th century of Native gravesites in the name of science, education, and sport. The graves of Native peoples in the Far West became an important and abused resource for museums, universities, and hobbyists until the Red Power movement organized a successful movement to stop this practice. In the 20th century, the creation of a public narrative of the region’s past both excused and legitimated racist images of Native Americans, making it easier for future generations to evade a reckoning with our tragic and sorrowful history. The American West continues to be shaped, culturally and socially, by these bitter legacies and by struggles over reparations. What will it take to create a public history that does justice to the past?