Paper short abstract:

This contribution wants to question the restitution of cultural goods and human remains as a public policy at intersection between the global and the local, and analyze the ownership of these policies in the Great lakes region.

Paper long abstract:

Following the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement, there is a renewal of the ‘decolonial movement’ involving both the former metropolises and their colonies. Amongst other demands and actions are the restitution of cultural goods and human remains stolen from former colonies. This paper aims to question the potential of ownership of these public policies in the former colonies, taking the Great Lakes Region as the case study. Thus, in a first step, I situate restitution policies in the global framework of the decolonial movement by focusing on the political positions of the actors involved. Secondly, I analyse the potential of ownership of these policies by questioning the political practices upstream and downstream of the restitution process of cultural goods and human remains in the Great Lakes region. I conclude with a critical note on the ownership of these policies.

Keywords: Great Lakes region, restitution policies, decolonial movement, ownership