Past Transgressions, Future Reconciliations: Ethical Engagement with Legacy Collections

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Community Engaged Bioarchaeology: Centering Descendants" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This presentation examines the history and creation of legacy collections, with a specific focus on the Hamann-Todd, Terry, and Cobb anatomical collections. These anatomical series, like many around the world, were amassed due to anatomical legislation that targeted marginalized communities. To better understand how to ethically engage with legacy collections, we must understand the past and sociopolitical context in which they were created. We must also better understand who the individuals are that comprise these collections. What narratives do they provide that allow us to bridge the past to the present and truly center descendants? This presentation will discuss how to ethically engage with these collections in an inclusive way that addresses the importance of not only locating but including descendants in conversations involving their disappeared ancestors.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Community Engaged Bioarchaeology: Centering Descendants   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40352.0