January 6, 2021

Happy New Year from Stealing Culture!

While we hoped that 2021 would feel like turning a page from a bad chapter to a new and better one, the new year has started off as traumatic and troubling as any other in recent history.  For those new to Stealing Culture, our project looks at the intersection of criminal law and museum studies, through both macro and micro events.  We often use movies, like Black Panther or Indiana Jones, to help our audiences engage and understand.  But an immediate example of Stealing Culture occurred on Wednesday, January 6, 2021.  On that day, a rioting mob invaded the Capitol of the United States of America.  Many, if not most, wore red MAGA hats. Earlier that morning, they had stood in front of President Donald J. Trump as he greeted them and guided them on their beliefs and activities. Hours later, they engaged in a variety of crimes, including vandalism, in order to disrupt the Constitutionally required acts of United States Senators.  By most descriptions, the Senators actions were more pomp and circumstance than substance.  The actions were Constitutionally required but had been repeated so many times over so many years that they became deemed fairly pro forma.  However, this year, in light of unfounded allegations, pro forma had turned into pure drama.  The drama provided the match that the rioters would use to light their dynamite. While we are clearly using analogies for analytical purposes, this is not far from the truth as lives were lost due to the actions of the people many are calling insurgents.

If the process that the Senators were attempting to complete is a part of American culture, then, the rioters were attempting to steal that moment, to steal American culture.  The proof is enhanced by viewing the activities of the rioters once inside the Capitol, where, amongst other things, they stole podiums and office items while simultaneously defacing and taking pictures next to monuments.  With the exception of a few individuals (who are now attempting to distance themselves from the rioters since the final results got “out of hand” and beyond what they could control), the rioters were not invited onto the grounds, into the building, or into these chambers.  They were engaged in criminal behavior.  With intention, the rioters were stealing American culture.

In a display of courage and fortitude, the Senators returned to the Capitol on the exact same day.  Having been escorted out of their work home, for their own safety, each chose to return as quickly as possible to make a statement about American culture, and, perhaps, American fortitude.  In the days, weeks, months, and years to come, Americans will consider what was stolen and whether it can or should be returned “to normal.”  However, while the Stealing Culture project has spent years analyzing how art and artifacts from across the world have been stolen from those with less power for the “enjoyment” of the privileged and powerful, this week has caused us to pause and re-consider how Stealing Culture has occurred and continues to occur in our own back yard.