A symposium about human remains in universities
Many higher-ed institutions, including Johns Hopkins, house several types of human remains, from bits of tissue on medical school histology slides to mummified bodies exhibited in campus museums. As schools continue to confront the legacies of medical racism, coercion, and colonialism that fueled such collections, historians, conservators, curators, art historians, anthropologists, archeologists, and others are reevaluating stewardship of human remains.
What does the use and abuse of human remains reveal about wider structural, historical, and political processes? How did communities safeguard against coerced agreement or outright disinterment or robbery of their loved ones and ancestors, and how does this work continue today? What kinds of institutional, national, or state, or institution-level regulations could address these historical practices and prevent them from being repeated? How do communities care for and re-sanctify human remains upon repatriation? What might repatriation frameworks look like beyond NAGRPA?
All all welcome to join for keynote talks in-person or online from 4:30-6 p.m. Eastern on Friday, April 5, 2024.
Registration required; register below.
April 4-6, 2024
Baltimore, MD
Watch the keynote:
The keynote streamed live, and you can find the recording here.
Organizers, artists, academics, community members—all were welcome to join us for keynote talks by Dr. Aja Lans (Johns Hopkins) and Dr. Lyra Monteiro (Rutgers-Newark; co-convener of Finding Ceremony) at Red Emma’s on Friday, April 5.
4:30-6:00 p.m., Baltimore Free School at Red Emma’s
3128 Greenmount Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21218
The keynote was part of a multi-day workshop at Johns Hopkins in which journalists and emerging researchers in anthropology, history, archaeology, art history, and more are meeting in a small group to share early, developing works-in-progress. You can learn about them and their work here.
They have requested that their work they’re sharing at this stage is only viewed by each other. But beyond the small-group workshop format, many participants also want to make their work available to other communities. Please use this form to get in touch with questions, comments, and suggestions about the work.
For workshop participants
Click here for information