The Role of Pusaka in the Restitution of Indonesian Artifacts: A Decolonial and Inter-Epistemic Perspective

• In Event: Transnational and Decolonial Literacies in Community and Classroom Spaces

Abstract

This paper examines the restitution of cultural artifacts within global debates on historical injustices and cultural ownership. Analyzing the process through the lens of coloniality (Mignolo, 2011) and its impact on the cultural archive (Wekker, 2016), the study extends Bennet’s (2010) ThingPower to the Indonesian context, using pusaka to explore artifact returns in popular media. This critical discourse analysis highlights the ethical complexities and moral imperatives of restoring these objects to their rightful owners.

Author

• Joel Berends, Michigan State University