Restorative Justice

In the heritage sector, Restorative Justice encompasses improving conservation conditions while collections are held in Western institutions and connecting these practices to ethics, politics and social justice. Since the 1990s, the concept of restorative justice in law has been understood to mean that all those affected by harm are involved in making amends, rather than focusing exclusively on the perpetrators. Here, the term ‘restorative’ is consistent with restoration, care, and archiving practices. It links conservation with memories and the future.

Restorative justice goes beyond simply setting out guidelines, recognising the efforts of Indigenous Peoples, activists and conservators to consider social and political justice in conservation and heritage. Restorative justice aims to redress power imbalances in storage and changes who controls the collections, particularly when they are institutionalised. Certain practices associated with this approach run counter to conventional conservation standards, such as direct contact with artefacts or ancestors, which is often regulated or even prohibited to prevent insect infestations and other forms of deterioration.

I contrast this concept with what I term Conservation Washing, a theory and discourse that asserts art and heritage can only be preserved in Western museums.

A direct parallel can be drawn with nature conservation. In this field, the fortress nature conservation model is imposed from outside, thereby excluding communities from their natural environment as they are considered harmful to flora and fauna. Conversely, restorative justice prioritises the expectations, methods, and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples.