Museums developed and funded by European colonization often grapple with the morally blurry lines between public education and neocolonial exploitation. Elephant tusk — otherwise known as ivory — is embedded in these politics of historical display.
![A close up photo of the display of an elephant (Loxodonta africana) from Congo at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Belgium. The display shows two ivory horns, a long trunk, four legs, and the entire body of the elephant at an angle on a black pedestal.](https://i0.wp.com/envhistnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/elephant_1050-1.jpeg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1)
Museums developed and funded by European colonization often grapple with the morally blurry lines between public education and neocolonial exploitation. Elephant tusk — otherwise known as ivory — is embedded in these politics of historical display.