As part of the launch of the New Futures For Indonesian Objects , the project hosted a seminar at the Department of History, Universitas Gadjah Mada, featuring a public lecture by Dr. Sadiah Boonstra titled “Beyond the Point of No Return: The Re-Emergence of Indonesian Debates and Concepts on the Return of Cultural Objects”. Held in Febaruary 13, 2025, this lecture highlights Dr. Boonstra’s ideas on how colonial legacies continue to influence heritage management and the production of knowledge. She traced repatriation efforts from the 1931 return of the Bone Sultanate to the recent repatriation processes, she revealing a complex tension between national pride and persistent colonial frameworks. Rather than viewing repatriation as an unqualified success, Boonstra highlighted how government-to-government negotiations often sideline local communities – the true custodians of these cultural memories – and underscored that repatriation extends beyond the physical return of objects to encompass struggles over cultural authority and identity.
Dr. Boonstra also illuminated the entrenched intersections of power, ownership, and cultural authority that shape Indonesia’s museological landscape. Themes of decolonization, indigenous dispossession, and contested heritage meanings emerged as central to understanding the ongoing challenges in heritage governance. Her analysis pointed to a critical shortfall in current repatriation discourse: the failure to meaningfully incorporate local epistemologies and emotional connections, which risks perpetuating colonial power imbalances under new forms.
The lecture sparked significant interest from attendees, who raised practical questions concerning the logistics of returning objects, their safety, and the complexities of bureaucratic procedures. Dr. Boonstra acknowledged the diverse perspectives on these issues and stressed the importance of addressing such concerns to build trust and foster a genuinely collaborative approach to managing repatriated heritage.
Looking ahead, Dr. Boonstra called for a future grounded in collaborative research, inclusive dialogue, and innovative heritage practices. She emphasized that successful repatriation must center local engagement, amplifying the voices of communities intimately connected to the objects. In this light, the New Futures For Indonesian Objects project emerges as a promising catalyst for meaningful decolonial transformation, redefining heritage management by bridging past, present, and future through shared understanding and respect.
