Indiana Jones: The Capitalist Imperialist

Cue the triumphant theme music, but let’s strip away the nostalgia and look at what’s really happening.

For decades, Indiana Jones has been celebrated as the quintessential adventurer—a rugged archaeologist who dodges booby traps, fights off Nazis, and rescues ancient relics from oblivion. But beneath the charm of Harrison Ford’s portrayal lies a deeper, more uncomfortable truth: Indiana Jones isn’t a hero. He’s an imperialist looter, a relic of colonialist academia, and a symbol of the West’s historic habit of plundering other nations' treasures under the guise of preservation.

"That Belongs in a Museum!" — But Whose Museum?

One of Indiana Jones’ most famous lines is his insistence that ancient artifacts belong in a museum. But the real question is: which museum? The answer is almost always a Western one, far removed from the culture and people to whom these artifacts actually belong. This echoes the logic used for centuries by European and American explorers who looted African, Asian, and Latin American artifacts, justifying it as an effort to "protect" them from their own people.

Indiana Jones operates within the tired trope of the "white savior"—the Western man who braves dangerous lands, outsmarts the locals, and "rescues" history from the people who have been safeguarding it for generations. In Temple of Doom, he stumbles upon a mystical Indian village and decides, without being asked, that it is his responsibility to retrieve the stolen Sankara Stones. He reduces an entire culture’s spiritual and historical heritage to a thrilling treasure hunt, turning local people into mere obstacles or grateful recipients of his heroism.

Real archaeology is about careful study, cultural respect, and preservation with local communities. Indiana Jones, however, bulldozes through sacred sites, demolishes temples, and leaves destruction in his wake. Imagine a non-Western archaeologist breaking into the Vatican to "rescue" the Pope’s treasures—he wouldn’t be called an adventurer. He’d be called a thief.

The irony is that the very museums Indiana Jones glorifies—whether it’s the British Museum, the Louvre, or the Smithsonian—are filled with artifacts taken under similar pretenses. From the Benin Bronzes to the Elgin Marbles, Western institutions have long justified their looting with the claim that they are "protecting" these objects, despite growing demands for repatriation.

Rewriting the Narrative

Indiana Jones remains a beloved cinematic icon, but it’s time we see him for what he truly is: a reflection of Western imperialism disguised as heroism. Instead of celebrating the idea that Westerners have the right to claim and "protect" the cultural heritage of others, we should be amplifying the voices of indigenous historians, archaeologists, and cultural guardians who have long been dismissed in favor of the "great white explorer" narrative.