Cultural appropriation & cultural heritage institutions by Brigitte Vézina Sharing is Caring X Amsterdam 2019

1. Cultural appropriation
& cultural heritage
institutions
Brigitte Vézina
Rijksmuseum – Amsterdam – 22 November 2019

2. When available rhymes with appropriable
• Cultural heritage institutions fulfill the invaluable mission of making
culture available. They play an instrumental role in preserving and allowing
the public to access, use and recreate cultural heritage held in their
collections.
• Sometimes, that mission can conflict with the rights and interests of the
holders of the cultural heritage – this is often the case for Indigenous
heritage subject to customary rules – one big concern is that it can open
the door to cultural appropriation, i.e. uses that are offensive and cause
harm.
• Cultural heritage institutions have an important role to play to ensure the
traditional cultural expressions in their collections are used respectfully
and according to the wishes of their holders. Specific platforms, labels,
licenses and tools can help.
Brigitte Vézina – SharingisCaring – Amsterdam – 22 November 2019