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- Convenors:
-
Annika Vosseler
(University of Tübingen, Museum of the University of Tübingen, Provenance Research)
Holger Stoecker (University Goettingen)
Ursula Wittwer-Backofen (Freiburg University)
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- Discussant:
-
Prof. Wazi Apoh
(University of Ghana)
- Format:
- Panel
- Stream:
- Restitution!
- Location:
- Room 1010
- Sessions:
- Thursday 9 June, -
Time zone: Europe/Berlin
Short Abstract:
Innovative research projects permit to inquire not only historical contexts of "acquisitions" of human remains, but face fundamental new questions.Researchers and activists from "communities of origin"-aiming at repatriation/restitution- get involved in intellectual coproduction and reshape agendas.
Long Abstract:
After decades of neglect the interest in Collections of Human Remains has strongly expanded. In Germany, a number of innovative research projects have been started in recent years. They permit to go much deeper into the historical circumstances of "acquisitions", following an established provenance research perspective. At the same time they are facing a much stronger fundamental questioning, but also involvement by researchers and activists from "communities of origin" aiming at repatriation/restitution. A strong focus of such projects is on former German colonies in Africa. Via this panel exchange between those projects is sought as well as a broader interdisciplinary discussion of approaches and provisional results. Contributing are projects at Universities of Tübingen (Precarious Provenance - Human remains from Africa's colonial heritage before 1919 in scientific collections in Baden-Württemberg), Göttingen (Sensitive Provenances research project) and Freiburg (Reciprocal, interdisciplinary and transparent: Provenance research with a restitution perspective). As a discussant we propose Prof. Wazi Apoh, University of Ghana. First results from this new research on partly prominent collections (Blumenbach Skull Collection, Alexander Ecker collection etc.) will be presented. It is essential for the intended repatriation/restitution that the origin of human remains can be determined, potentially by clarifying via which routes they arrived in these collections. But this needs to be complemented by other methodological elements, including ones aiming at participative research and facilitating appropriate ways of decision-making on repatriation. Such approaches may also pave the way to publicly acknowledge the highly problematic origins of such collections by the involved Universities.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Thursday 9 June, 2022, -Paper short abstract:
The research project "Sensitive Provenances" investigates the provenance of human remains from colonial contexts at the University of Göttingen. It examines its origin in Africa, the contexts of acquisition, their status within the collections and the approaches to their re-humanisation.
Paper long abstract:
The "Sensitive Provenances" research project investigates the provenance of human remains from (proto-)colonial contexts in two collections at the University of Göttingen. It examine the origin of ancestral remains in Africa, the circumstances of their acquisition, their transfer and transformation into scientific objects, their use for teaching and research purposes. The aim is now their re-humanisation and, if possible, re-individualisation. The project is focusing on the so-called 'Blumenbach Skull Collection', which was initiated by the natural scientist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752-1840), as well as on the Anthropological Collection which was handed over from the Hamburg Museum of Ethnology to the University of Göttingen in 1953. This collection originates mostly from the German colonial period between 1890 and 1920. An initial review of both collections revealed that circa 100 ancestral remains originate from Africa, mainly from Tanzania, Namibia, and South Africa. The paper will present the interdisciplinary format of the provenance research, methodological approaches and first results.
Paper short abstract:
In collaboration with scholars from Africa an interdisciplinary project group from ABI and University Freiburg aims at encouraging in a transparent and participated way the interdisciplinary and intercultural exchange on provenance analysis and repatriation of human remains from Africa.
Paper long abstract:
The joint project of the Arnold Bergstraesser Institute Freiburg e.V. and the University of Freiburg aims at approaching questions of provenance of human remains and the treatment of a collection with limited background information. This will be addressed in cooperation with respective populations of provenance. Based on archival materials of the Alexander Ecker collection (Freiburg anatomist who started around 1860 to build a worldwide collection of human skulls) unknown so far, a more intensive and detailed provenance analysis allows to reconstruct individual details of the context of acquisition and to rehumanize the so far unidentified individuals from colonial contexts. The focus of the project is on about 120 human remains from allover the African continent.
Besides the more detailed documentation of the collection a major goal is to link systematic historical and non-invasive life science analysis and to develop a joint concept of reciprocal research together with cultural and social sciences as well as with museum representatives from countries of origin. This process will be accompanied by an advisory board consisting of African scholars meeting regularly in order to guarantee transparency and participation. It will lead to a joint best practice guideline for the treatment of human remains.
As such approaches are lacking of experience major attention will be drawn on the documentation of processes and experiences in the interaction of collections and populations of origin during the course of the project.
Paper short abstract:
The project's intended outcome is to reconstruct the historical networks of actors and institutions in Southwest Germany and to make the collected data accessible for the wider public and thus living up to legitimate claims of the "communities of implication".
Paper long abstract:
The recently initiated project "Precarious Provenance" at the Museum of the University Tübingen MUT aims at reconstructing the historical networks of actors and institutions in Baden-Württemberg that were involved in acquiring, collecting and transmitting human remains during the colonial period. Along with our partners from the Linden-Museum Stuttgart, the Natural History Museums Stuttgart and Karlsruhe and the Osteological Collection of the University Tübingen, we aspire to determine the provenance of the human remains and establish contacts with "communities of implication". The intended outcome is to present and visualise the collected data and thus making it accessible for the wider public and thus living up to legitimate claims of the "communities of implication".