When: June 26th, 2026, 11 a.m. CET [10 p.m. New Zealand; 7 p.m. Palau; 6 p.m. Canberra; 10 a.m. Lisbon; 7 a.m. Rio de Janeiro]
Where: Online
Zoom Link: https://uni-goettingen.zoom-x.de/j/64319460396?pwd=bHHc63pcTHgHoSwTkjTNY0WlGqLNOg.1
Meeting-ID: 643 1946 0396
Kenncode: 071707
Programme:
11:00 – Welcome and Introduction. Prof. Regina F. Bendix, University of Göttingen
11:15 – Ethical Dimension in the Work with Human Remains. Dr Jonatan Kurzwelly, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt
11:30 – 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 – The Future of Provenance and Restitution work in Museums. Dr Richard Hölzl, The Five Continents Museum in Munich
12:00 – Q&A
About the book: 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. This book 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.
Through a diverse range of theoretical frameworks and global case studies, the contributors examine how the status of a ‘collectible scientific object’ is fundamentally transformed when reclaimed as an ancestor. By placing academic accounts alongside the perspectives of descendant communities, the book addresses the evolving legal, cultural, and diplomatic practices surrounding provenance research. It also confronts the ethical burdens of caring for the remaining remains. Ultimately, by acknowledging that modern academic disciplines share the genealogy of the colonial practices they now critique, the volume recognises that restitution offers a necessary, yet only partial, redress to the profound disruptions of the past.