The British Returned African Artifacts (Thesis Proposal Sample)
THE TASK IS ABOUT DEVELOPING A THESIS STATEMENT AND RESEARCH QUESTION, EXPLAINING THE RESEARCH AREA, AND DEVELOPING A RESEARCH METHODOLOGY. The topic selected for the task was returning African artifacts by the British in the post-colonial era. The death of queen Elizabeth invoked a heated debate about the origin of the "Great Start of Africa" and the need to return it, creating momentum for Africans and other civil groups to call for the return of all artifacts stolen during colonialism and scramble for Africa.
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The British Returned African Artifacts
The death of Queen Elizabeth evoked a debate about the controversial topic of repatriation of stolen artifacts during the British colonial era. There are claims about stealing African artifacts and minerals by the British during colonialism, which remains a controversial topic. Many people have debated the issue of returning the "Great Star of Africa" by the royal family following the death of Queen Elizabeth. Multiple artifacts in British and European museums emanated from Africa during the scramble and colonization of Africa. The British should repatriate or return stolen artifacts during the conquest and colonization of Africa.
Thesis Statement
The British should repatriate or return stolen artifacts during the conquest and colonization of Africa.
Research Question
Why should the British return the stolen artifacts or materials from Africa in the postcolonial era?
Explanation of the Research Issue
Most of the artifacts exhibited in European and British Museums emanated from Africa through forceful acquisition or manipulative colonial era appropriation. British is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the benevolent retrieval of African artifacts under the pretext of safeguarding the continent's history. Some American Museums accepted the transfer of sixty-nine Artefacts back to Italy based on the illicit transfer of the relics to the U.S. Some British museums have accepted that some of their exhibitions have controversial backgrounds. However, most museums hesitate to repatriate these artifacts by suggesting they preserve African cultural heritage. Repatriation of artifacts can only be acknowledged by museums based on claimants' significance and value demands. It seems valid, but it maintains the British stereotype against Africans being responsible custodians of their history. Africa still faces the challenge of protecting its heritage because of the thriving illegal artifacts trade and the risk of damaging them during conflicts. The British museums have coded based on their identification, leaving out their vital historical accounts.[James Cuno, "Culture War: The Case Against Repatriating Museum Artifacts,” Foreign Affairs 93, no. 6 (2014): 119. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24483927.] [Snowball Jen, Collins Alan, and Nwauche Enyinna, "Examining restitution and repatriation options for cultural artifacts: an empirical inquiry in South Africa,” International Journal of Cultural Policy 28, no. 5 (2022): 532. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2021.1995378.] [Elizabeth Klesmith, “Nigeria and Mali: The Case for Repatriation and Protection of Cultural Heritage in Post-Colonial Africa,” Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law 4, no. 1 (2014): 49. https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/ndjicl/vol4/iss1/1.]
