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The Parthenon Marbles dispute and the debate over cultural repatriation
The Parthenon Marbles dispute and the debate over cultural repatriation | GZERO World

The Parthenon Marbles dispute and the debate over cultural repatriation

Who gets to claim art as their own? It’s a complicated issue, and elite art institutions are undergoing a reckoning over their Indiana Jones-style acquisition tactics of the past. GZERO’s Alex Kliment explores the complex debate of art repatriation and the controversy surrounding ancient artifacts displayed in Western museums. One of the most infamous cases involves the Parthenon Marbles (sometimes called the Elgin Marbles) at the British Museum, which the British took during Ottoman rule. The Greeks have been demanding the Marbles be returned for almost 200 years.

“I think this is really a moral or ethical case,” says Leila Amineddoleh, an art repatriation expert, “Should museums hold onto objects that were taken under either violent circumstances or were taken during a time of looting, theft or when a country was colonized?”

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken plays guitar at the State Department, September 27, 2023.

@SecBlinken/X.com

What we’re listening to: US tries out Hoochie Coochie diplomacy

To be honest, if you told us that the US secretary of state, a 61-year-old white guy, was gonna grab a Stratocaster and belt out some Delta Blues in public, we’d have braced for a much more awkward outcome than this.

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Racial makeup of undergraduate students in the U.S. (2010-2021)

Luisa Vieira/GZERO

The Graphic Truth: Hispanic college enrollment has surged

September 15 marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, and as the United States enters a new era in college admissions following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down race-based affirmative action protections this summer, many worry that the new rules could hurt the chances of aspiring students from traditionally marginalized communities.

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Once upon a time: Pakistan's fabled storytellers fade away

December 14, 2020 12:02 PM

SHOGRAN, Pakistan (AFP) - Mohammad Naseem's eyes shine while he shares the legend of a remote, alpine lake nestled among snow-capped Himalayan peaks as a rare crowd of onlookers hears one of Pakistan's last "storytellers".

Coronavirus pandemic respite for Thai 'sea gypsies' threatened by mass tourism

November 23, 2020 11:17 AM

The threat of eviction also hangs over the 1,200 Chao Lay living in Rawai.

Amid calls for boycott and bad reviews, Mulan heads towards opening weekend in China

September 09, 2020 9:47 PM

BEIJING - Even before hitting the big screens in mainland China, Disney's lavish US$200 million (S$273.8 million) live action remake of Mulan has been hit with controversy, delays and calls for a boycott.

Qipao all the rage among Chinese mothers whose children are taking national exam

June 11, 2019 5:53 PM

KUNMING (XINHUA) - If you passed by Chinese schools last Friday (June 7) or this past weekend, you would probably have seen some middle-aged women waiting outside with anxious looks dressed in traditional qipao dresses.

Penang proposes joint S'pore-Malaysia Unesco hawker culture bid

May 05, 2019 5:00 AM

GEORGE TOWN • Penang's state government has proposed Singapore and Malaysia file a joint-nomination to list hawker culture under Unesco, but the idea did not go down well with critics on both sides of the Causeway.

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