Imperial skulduggery, science and the issue of provenance and restitution: The fate of Namibian skulls in the Alexander Ecker Collection in Freiburg
This article explores the history of the Alexander Ecker Collection and situates it within the larger trajectory of global collecting of human remains during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This is then linked to the specific context of the genocide in then German South West Africa (19...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Manchester University Press
2018-10-01
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| Series: | Human Remains and Violence |
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| _version_ | 1818206113693171712 |
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| author | Reinhart Kößler |
| author_facet | Reinhart Kößler |
| author_sort | Reinhart Kößler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article explores the history of the Alexander Ecker Collection and situates it within the larger trajectory of global collecting of human remains during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This is then linked to the specific context of the genocide in then German South West Africa (1904–8), with the central figure of Eugen Fischer. The later trajectory of the collection leads up to the current issues of restitution. The Freiburg case is instructive since it raises issues about the possibilities and limitations of provenance research. At the same time, the actual restitution of fourteen human remains in 2014 occurred in a way that sparked serious conflict in Namibia which is still on-going four years later. In closing, exigencies as well as pressing needs in connection with the repatriation and (where possible) rehumanisation of human remains are discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T04:07:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f32954a680de43d9b95dea1efc1802be |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-2240 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T04:07:52Z |
| publishDate | 2018-10-01 |
| publisher | Manchester University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Human Remains and Violence |
| spelling | doaj.art-f32954a680de43d9b95dea1efc1802be2022-12-22T00:38:43ZengManchester University PressHuman Remains and Violence2054-22402018-10-0142274410.7227/HRV.4.2.3Imperial skulduggery, science and the issue of provenance and restitution: The fate of Namibian skulls in the Alexander Ecker Collection in FreiburgReinhart Kößler0Arnold-Bergstraesser-Institut, Freiburg, Germany and The University of the Free StateThis article explores the history of the Alexander Ecker Collection and situates it within the larger trajectory of global collecting of human remains during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This is then linked to the specific context of the genocide in then German South West Africa (1904–8), with the central figure of Eugen Fischer. The later trajectory of the collection leads up to the current issues of restitution. The Freiburg case is instructive since it raises issues about the possibilities and limitations of provenance research. At the same time, the actual restitution of fourteen human remains in 2014 occurred in a way that sparked serious conflict in Namibia which is still on-going four years later. In closing, exigencies as well as pressing needs in connection with the repatriation and (where possible) rehumanisation of human remains are discussed.colonialismgenocideprovenancerestitution |
| spellingShingle | Reinhart Kößler Imperial skulduggery, science and the issue of provenance and restitution: The fate of Namibian skulls in the Alexander Ecker Collection in Freiburg Human Remains and Violence colonialism genocide provenance restitution |
| title | Imperial skulduggery, science and the issue of provenance and restitution: The fate of Namibian skulls in the Alexander Ecker Collection in Freiburg |
| title_full | Imperial skulduggery, science and the issue of provenance and restitution: The fate of Namibian skulls in the Alexander Ecker Collection in Freiburg |
| title_fullStr | Imperial skulduggery, science and the issue of provenance and restitution: The fate of Namibian skulls in the Alexander Ecker Collection in Freiburg |
| title_full_unstemmed | Imperial skulduggery, science and the issue of provenance and restitution: The fate of Namibian skulls in the Alexander Ecker Collection in Freiburg |
| title_short | Imperial skulduggery, science and the issue of provenance and restitution: The fate of Namibian skulls in the Alexander Ecker Collection in Freiburg |
| title_sort | imperial skulduggery science and the issue of provenance and restitution the fate of namibian skulls in the alexander ecker collection in freiburg |
| topic | colonialism genocide provenance restitution |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT reinhartkoßler imperialskulduggeryscienceandtheissueofprovenanceandrestitutionthefateofnamibianskullsinthealexandereckercollectioninfreiburg |