Brod basket reveals: How historical myths distort the truth!

Brod basket reveals: How historical myths distort the truth!

A former minister goes on an exciting journey through the colonial history and the associated moral questions with his new book publication. Mathias Brodkorb, who was a member of the Schwerin state parliament from 2002 to 2019 and worked as a minister of culture and education between 2011 and 2016, asks in his work "Postcolonial myths. In the traces of a fashionable narrative", as we keep with the truth.

Brodkorb, 48, not only successfully practiced its political offices, but is also known as the head of the Greifswald and Rostock University Hospital. In his new book, the publication of which is planned for 2025, he primarily criticizes how to deal with historical truth in museums, especially in the context of postcolonial narratives. He addresses how the representation of history is often one -sided and morally charged. Ostsee-Zeitung reports of his experiences that he gained during his visits to ethnic museums in cities such as Hamburg, Berlin and Vienna.

A look behind the scenes of the Ethn Kundemuseen

In his pamphlet, Brodkorb addresses, among other things, the controversial "Skruplel" automatic machine, which is in the Leipzig Museum of Ethnology and symbolically stands for the moral examination of colonial history. It shows that the German colonial history, which ranges from 1884 to 1919, has only been increasingly paying attention in recent years. This was mainly under the influence of postcolonial theories from the USA. Leipziger Internet newspaper emphasized.

Brodkorb criticizes that many collections are often linked to colonialized peoples and their history with outdated, exotic perspectives. During his research, he found that many of these objects were legally acquired and that returns were often carried out for moral reasons, not due to theft. He appeals to a scientific reappraisal of colonial history and demands that the complexity of this story in exhibitions. Kubi-Online gives deeper insights into the provenance research.

looking for a balanced story

Brod basket questions how we should deal with controversial topics in a historical context, and makes it clear that many problems of today's contemporary museum work are shaped by a superior moral point of view. He explains that ethnographic museums often do not recognize the contradictions of their collections and instead try to clean them up.

A special focus on Brodkorb on the representation of a certain Africa researcher, Dr. Hans Meyer. The former director of the Grassi Museum, Léontine Meijer-van Mensch, made busts shreded in his honor to create this "scrupel" stones. These are sold to finance the return of a stone from Tanzania. Brod basket argues that Meyer maintained trade relationships with local chiefs and was not a exploider. In doing so, he asks the question of the truth in dealing with historical figures, which in today's debate are often assigned with one -sided blame.

Mathias Brodkorb plans to continue to deal with these critical topics in the future. His book will certainly not only have great interest in academic circles, but could also stimulate discussions in the broader public how we want to deal with art, history and identity.