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).