The treatment of human remains in academic institutions has become a flash point in a shifting landscape of ethical concerns regarding the legacies of colonial injustice and contestable scientific practices. For centuries, the pursuit of anatomical knowledge relied on the commodification of colonial bodies, transforming individuals into objectified specimens. Changing Ethics of Human Remains, edited by Prof. Regina F. Bendix (University of Göttingen) and Dr. Jonatan Kurzwelly (PRIF) explores the complex and contentious transition from this legacy to the contemporary imperative of rehumanisation and restorative dignity. In doing so, it exposes deep-seated disciplinary frictions between the traditional preservation of scientific collections and the moral urgency of restitution. Published by Göttingen University Press and now available online, the volume will be presented as part of an online event.
Programme:
11:00 a.m. Welcome and Introduction. Prof. Regina F. Bendix, University of Göttingen
11:15 a.m. Ethical Dimension in the Work with Human Remains. Dr Jonatan Kurzwelly, PRIF
11:30 a.m. The Future of Working with Ancestral Returns. Dr Te Herekiekie Herewini, Head of Repatriation of the
Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
11:45 a.m.The Future of Provenance and Restitution work in Museums. Dr Richard Hölzl, The Five Continents
Museum in Munich
12:00 a.m. Q&A
When: June 26, 2026, 11 a.m. CET
Where: Online via Zoom (Meeting-ID: 643 1946 0396 / Code: 071707).