The Schøyen Collection

Braarvig, Jens

doi:10.2307/j.ctt1vw0q4q.10

Cited by 1 publication

(5 citation statements)

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“…Researchers in fields such as ancient manuscript studies, however, can have attitudes that are more ambiguous, as their concern is primarily what can be read in a text and what authentic meaning can be proposed [49,50] (p. 186). Though it is sometimes acknowledged that studying texts with a dubious ownership history can be ethically and scientifically challenging [51][52][53][54], there has traditionally been limited substantial recognition of the problems in research traditions studying ancient text. For example, in 2006, a group of scholars issued a statement through the Biblical Archaeology Society protesting measures to stop the publishing of unprovenanced material.…”

Section: Text Studies and The Publication Of Unprovenanced Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was among others facilitated by Braarvig, Jens-Uwe Hartmann, Kazunobu Matsuda, Lore Sander, and later Paul Harrison [75]. Before joining the research group, Lore Sander appears to have worked for the dealer Sam Fogg in preparing the initial 108 manuscript fragments in London for auction [51,76,77] (pp. [89][90] [78] (p. 161).…”

Section: Schøyen and The "Dead Sea Scrolls Of Buddhism": Going Publicmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 2007, however, Schøyen conceded to returning stolen fragments. In a 2014 publication, Braarvig states that Schøyen returned "a representative selection of the manuscript materials to Kabul Museum" [51] (p. 163). On the Schøyen webpage [136], the number stolen from Kabul Museum are now admitted to be seven, but the site says a further 43 or 44 will be returned.…”

Section: Something Rotten In Academic Norwaymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They addressed none of the questions raised in public, the years of denial of ownership issues, and refusals to acknowledge claims for restitution or deposition in a neutral safe house. Like Braarvig [51], they simply claimed that what had come forth was untrue and supplied testimonies by offended non-Norwegian members of the Schøyen group.…”

Section: Something Rotten In Academic Norwaymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The story about a rescue from Taliban is absent in this volume, but provenance issues also remain unaddressed. In ensuing volumes, these issues are touched upon in passing, with statements appealing to the right and duty of scholars to identify, describe and edit unprovenanced material [51,172]. Beyond such justifications, publishing generally follows the patterns established in 2002 and earlier volumes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring the “Cozy Cabal of Academics, Dealers and Collectors” through the Schøyen Collection

Prescott¹,

Rasmussen

2020

Heritage

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In the wake of the trade in ancient materials, several ethical and political issues arise that merit concern: the decimation of the cultural heritage of war-torn countries, proliferation of corruption, ideological connotations of orientalism, financial support of terrorism, and participation in networks involved in money laundering, weapon sales, human trafficking and drugs. Moreover, trafficking and trading also have a harmful effect on the fabric of academia itself. This study uses open sources to track the history of the private Schøyen Collection, and the researchers and public institutions that have worked with and supported the collector. Focussing on the public debates that evolved around the Buddhist manuscripts and other looted or illicitly obtained material from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, this article unravels strategies to whitewash Schøyen’s and his research groups’ activities. Numerous elements are familiar from the field of antiquities trafficking research and as such adds to the growing body of knowledge about illicit trade and collecting. A noteworthy element in the Schøyen case is Martin Schøyen and his partners’ appeal to digital dissemination to divorce collections from their problematic provenance and history and thus circumvent contemporary ethical standards. Like paper publications, digital presentations contribute to the marketing and price formation of illicit objects. The Norwegian state’s potential purchase of the entire Schøyen collection was promoted with the aid of digital dissemination of the collection hosted by public institutions. In the wake of the Schøyen case, it is evident that in spite of formal regulations to thwart antiquities trafficking, the continuation of the trade rests on the attitudes and practice of scholars and institutions.

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Section: Text Studies and The Publication Of Unprovenanced Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%