Reparation

Reparation is the act of redressing and resisting aggression and erasure in their individual and institutional forms. Contending with how the history of art and architecture has enabled cultural dispossession sharpens our understanding of why, when, and for what ends this history has reinforced unjust social hierarchies. As scholars and activists, we center an ethics of care and reciprocity in our research to redress, resist, and uplift the people, places, and things that have been marginalized. 

• What methodologies allow art and architectural historians to empower and amplify the voices of individuals and groups who are structurally marginalized and oppressed?
• How does the history of art and architecture speak to the ongoing practices and legacies of colonialism? How can we intervene upon these legacies toward a just and equitable future?  
• Why do some get to decide what objects are worth saving and where they belong, but not others and what tactics exist to deconstruct and alter these asymmetries?