Real, Recent, or Replica

“Real, Recent, or Replica is an important contribution to the study of the pre-Columbian Caribbean, one of the less-well-known areas of Americanist archaeology, and to the history of art forgery. In the preface and introduction, Ostapkowicz and Hanna provide a highly readable overview of the ethical and practical problems created by the historically close relationships among looters, collectors, dealers, museum curators, and, regrettably, some field archaeologists.”
—Journal of Anthropological Research

“This important volume explores the practical and ethical challenges of interpreting pre-Columbian Caribbean art and artifacts. Ten chapters use reproductions and looted indigenous objects as a lens to critically address the history of archaeological research in the Caribbean and to reflect on the ways these materials have hampered efforts to properly represent pre-Columbian history. The replication of pre-Columbian art is both a celebration and fetishization of the indigenous Caribbean past. The editors provide an overview of the history of reproductions and looted materials and assess their impact on public heritage efforts. Replicas of indigenous art are often produced within a framework of nationalist ideologies, which have been used to challenge colonial and imperialist agendas. A must-read for Caribbean archaeologists and museum specialists. Highly recommended.”
—CHOICE

“An unprecedented exploration of the furtive practices of collecting, faking, and looting as they entangle the scholarly study of Caribbean archaeology and ethnohistory. Local in focus but global in impact, the book has much to teach us about the consequences and unintended consequences of public policy’s embrace of cultural heritage.”
—Neil Brodie, coeditor of Illicit Antiquities: The Theft of Culture and the Extinction of Archaeology
 

“Real, Recent, or Replica raises important questions and contributes to anthropological perspectives on the entangled and complicated history of collecting, looting, fakes, replicas, authenticity, and cultural heritage. It is encouraging to see that archaeologists in the Caribbean are thinking about these issues.”
—Mary Jane Berman, Miami University

“Real, Recent, or Replica offers important insights into the human relations that move objects through Caribbean and foreign markets. There is no simple way to change these markets, but we can begin by shifting attention from the objects themselves to the information they express. I get about a dozen inquiries per year concerning objects allegedly found somewhere in the Caribbean. Most fail to pass authenticity tests, and I don’t hesitate to tell them their object is ‘fake.’ I now also recommend that they read this book.”
—New West Indian Guide