Vom Grabungsfund zur Rückgabefrage. Argumentationsmuster zur Rückgabe der Nofretete im historischen Wandel

This talk presents an ongoing dissertation project that examines the argumentative negotiations within the debates of return of the Nefertiti bust themselves. It explores how arguments regarding the legitimacy of ownership and its potential act of return have evolved over time, and how shifting actors and contextual conditions have shaped these debates. Based on an analysis of categories in the arguments put forward by the actors involved, the project traces changing patterns across different historical phases. The case of Nefertiti is particularly illuminating, as her return has been debated from the discovery and the formation of modern Egypt through to debates shaped by postcolonial perspectives. The presentation examines why, despite the bust’s established provenance, questions of ownership and legitimacy continue to be contested by those advocating for the return of Nefertiti, and what role provenance itself plays in these ongoing negotiations.