Valérie Rosoux (UCLouvain) et Laurent Licata (ULB)

The aim of this project is to analyse the representations and practices associated with the care, display and restitution of
human remains originating from the Congo and held in public and private institutions in Belgium. The issue of heritage human remains
raises a number of legal, political and ethical questions (Berger, 2008; de Clippele, 2023). Should they be considered scientific
specimens, museum objects or the remains of ancestors whose dignity has been trampled underfoot? Critics of restitution see human
remains as ‘scientific objects’ with educational, scientific and in some cases artistic value (many artefacts and musical
instruments are made from human bones). On the other hand, other voices consider that the return of human remains and their eventual
burial are essential in an attempt to redress the historical injustices committed during colonisation. The aim of this
interdisciplinary project is precisely to analyse the scope and limits of these practices, whether they take place at inter-state level or
within civil society. The aim is to analyse the negotiation processes that take place between official actors, representatives of
associations, spokespersons for communities and/or families of origin, as well as the representations that underpin this combination
of negotiations (Zolkos, 2020; Rosoux, 2022; Rosoux and Anstey, 2017).