Librarians are here to help.
To begin, you'll need to identify a contested artifact. Try these techniques.
Find articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia entries about the topic of cultural object ownership or repatriation. These will include references to cases you can explore further!
You may even use a source like Wikipedia to begin. In the library's Spartan Search, use the Material Type filter on the left side to narrow to book chapters and reference entries, or try the Issues and Controversies database.
Search for terms like "contested artifacts" or "repatriation," then filter to news articles. In Spartan Search, this can be done on the left side under Material Type. In Google, this can be found at the top of your results.
Or, go directly to a museum news site to begin your search for more targeted results. Find some suggestions below.
Try searching for the topic and a museum you are interested in. For example, it might be interesting to look at Chicago museums.
Museum websites will often have press releases or pages addressing contested items. In addition, museums often have online databases of items in their collections that can be searched for individual items.
Search engines return different results for different search terms. Using multiple search terms will allow you to find more information that is relevant to you. Brainstorm some search words and then collect more as you search.
You may begin your search with broad concepts like "repatriation" but as you identify an artifact you will find unique search terms that open new avenues in your search -- i.e. names of artifacts, laws, and organizations that are involved. Keep in mind that not all sources will use the most formal names when discussing these topics, so you may still need to exercise some creativity!
Being thoughtful about search words is also important to avoid hearing only one side of the story. For example, "stolen artifacts" implies a different opinion than "contested artifacts." Both terms are valuable, but relying on just one will limit your results.
News sources that focus on museums and art are great sources. Bigger stories will also be written about in local or national newspapers. These may be found online or in library newspaper databases.
You will need to cite reliable sources that have some authority on the topic. This will include museum professionals and people from the culture that created an object. Some of your sources will be biased. These are very valuable for understanding perspectives, but be mindful to separate opinion from fact.
When in doubt, ask your instructor for feedback.
