COLONIAL COPYRIGHT?: OPENING DOORS AND CREATING BARRIERS

Breaking the Glass Case | Alexandra Forand 

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Earlier this semester, I wrote an article about the Sarr/Savoy report called “What Does it Look Like to Decolonize Cultural Heritage.” In this article, I discuss the Sarr/Savory report and its three components. The component I would like to discuss further in this article, is the digital aspect of the report.

The Sarr/Savoy report requests that museums with African material culture (in France) complete a full inventory of the items they hold, send the lists to relevant African countries to claim their heritage, and publish these inventories online by Spring 2019. Essentially, the Sarr/Savoy report is calling for these museums to digitize their collection on mass and very quickly. At first glance, this proposal is exciting and revolutionary ! To think, not only are the objects going back to their rightful community, but the general public is able to have free, unfettered access to these treasures!

Wait, wait, wait, I caution you to not fall into this line of thinking.

Last year at this time Selin Kahramanoglu wrote an article entitled “Digitization to the Rescue,” where she outlines the limitations of the digital approach to conservation, but I would like to touch on the colonial implications of digitization.

Creating a digital object. Source. 

We have to remember that these object, including culturally sensitive objects, were removed from their communities and brought to colonial institutions that proliferated a narrative of dominance for the means of control. Culturally sensitive objects were stripped of their original meaning and forced on display to be gawked at by a foreign audience. When a museum moves to digitize a culturally sensitive object, either by taking a photograph or a 3D scan, they are creating a digital object, which is inherently tricky. In many cases, culturally sensitive objects do not lend themselves to digitization. It is easy to take a picture of a culturally sensitive object, but an image cannot convey the personhood or the intangible nature of that object.

Furthermore, the museum now owns that digital object that was created because of copyright, and they can exclude people from using it, charge people to access it, decide how to use, edit, and curate the image. Inherently, copyright is a tool and a product of colonialism.

The “Open by Default” Journey of Auckland Museum’s Collections Online -https://t.co/7Ux4kCNvDM

Making Room for Native American Voices - https://t.co/sExfShSTiC

— Museopunks (@Museopunks) December 19, 2019

Now, I hear what you are about to say: “Why don’t these museums make these digital objects open access?” and in the words of Ed Rodley of the podcast Museopunks “How can it possibly be anything other than good to have more access? More access is more gooder, right?”

It is true, open access can open doors and many museums are transitioning to an open access model, but it can also be a barrier for certain audiences who are digitally remote. Secondly, open access can be seen as an over correction, because these culturally sensitive objects are now available to the people they were taken from… and everyone else. Once again, culturally sensitive objects have a personhood and protocol associated with their being. In some case, not all, culturally sensitive objects should be handled by certain groups of people or at certain times of the year, and these protocols do not dissipate because the object is digitized. 

While these Arctic objects are owned by the Smithsonian Institute, they are pictured at the new Smithsonian Arctic Studied Centre in the Anchorage Museum. Source 

While, I do not have a quick fix for this problem I want to finish this article by suggesting an approach to digitization. Firstly, if you choose to digitize culturally sensitive objects consult the community the object came from on how they would like the copyright managed. Even better if you are able to turn the copyright over to the community. Also, if you are a part of an institution that is beginning to digitize I would encourage you to ask why. Why are you digitizing this object? What audiences are you trying to reach by digitizing? Are you the best person to tell this communities story through the object? Lastly, know that the process of digitization should not be fast and that there is an argument for slow digitization. Digitization may be the future, but it doesn’t have to be.

What are your thoughts on digitization? I want to know! Please leave me a comment below or via twitter, my handle is @ally_but_online.