Dealing with human remains of unknown provenance in Germany – on line

The handling of human remains from colonial contexts presents museums, collections and research institutions with complex professional as well as ethical challenges. In Museum and University Collections in Germany approximately 46 % of the recorded human remains have not been culturally modified and cannot be clearly attributed to a specific geographical origin.

Against this background, a number of fundamental questions arise:

  • How should museums and collections deal with human remains, whose origin stays permanently unclear?
  • What types of spaces or facilities are suitable for the medium- or long-term care and safekeeping of human remains with unresolved provenance?
  • And what constitutes an ethically responsible approach to human remains whose origin cannot be determined or which cannot be repatriated to a country or society of origin?

We would like to explore these questions during the digital panel discussion with experts from cultural and academic institutions in Germany and abroad:

  • Prof. Wazi Apoh (Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, University of Ghana),
  • Sarah Fründt (German Lost Art Foundation / Expert Network on the Handling of Human Remains),
  • Dr. Birgit Scheps-Bretschneider (affiliated with the Dresden State Art Collections | GRASSI Museum)
  • Dr. Rudo Sithole (AFRIMUHERE) will open the event and provide the basis for a subsequent panel discussion.

Aisha Camara will be the moderator for the event.