How should sensitive legacies, such as human remains or sacred objects in university and museum collections, be handled when they were originally acquired through wartime or colonial violence or other unethical means?
🇩🇪 DE ⭢ Der Umgang mit sensiblen Hinterlassenschaften (case study in German)

Context

In 1945, due to the Potsdam Conference, Wrocław, formerly a German city of Breslau, became part of Poland. This transnational Polish-German context makes Wrocław a unique city on the map of Europe, together with other cities and the entire Western Territories that were then incorporated into Poland. The scientific collections of yesterday’s University of Breslau, which had been collected and saved from destruction after WWII, became the property of the Polish state at the disposal of the University of Wrocław. The university’s possessions include ethnographic, archaeological, and natural history collections as well as human remains collected by German scholars in the colonial period during research expeditions and used by them to pursue studies on, among other things, the origin and evolution of homo sapiens, race typologies, and eugenics

A telling example of such heritage is the collection of human remains brought to Breslau/Wrocław from Australia by German Professor Hermann Klaatsch at the beginning of the 20th century, and used in research conducted by Polish scholars after 1945. Such collections, although not gathered by Polish researchers, have become a sensitive legacy, a difficult heritage of the University of Wrocław illustrating non-obvious historical entanglements between Australia, Germany, and Poland. Both their origin and their use raise ethical controversies today, which are set in the postcolonial, postwar, and postcommunist contexts.

The scientific conference “Sensitive Legacy in University Collections: Between Adaptation and Restitution” was organized in Wrocław to address this complex legacy. It was the first event in Poland to feature representatives from the Australian Indigenous community of Yawuru alongside Australian academics. The event served as a platform to explore Australian, German, and Polish perspectives on the status, cultural biography, and ethical use of such collections, which are part of the University of Wrocław’s holdings. Hermann Klaatsch’s collections of human remains, ethnographic objects, and photographs have become a starting point for us to open a discussion on the status of such collections, their cultural biography, and, above all, the rights to use them in contemporary research.

The event was organized at the initiative of the non-governmental organization, the Urban Memory Foundation, together with the Institute of Cultural Studies, University of Wrocław, and Centre for European Studies – The Australian National University.

Highlights

  • This initiative was a groundbreaking effort in Poland to engage with Indigenous representatives and international scholars on the topic of decolonization of sensitive collections, restitution, and ethical museum practices. It set a precedent for future interdisciplinary cooperation, raising awareness about the historical responsibilities of academic and cultural institutions.
  • The conference exemplified knowledge exchange, raised awareness of sensitive heritage, and strengthened cooperation between academia, public institutions, and civil society. The close partnerships between universities and NGOs embody the principles of socially responsible and engaged academia outlined in the Magna Charta Universitatum.
  • The activity is an example of multidirectional memory in practice, when Jewish NGOs dealing with and advocating for adequate protection of Jewish cemeteries and Holocaust victims’ burial sites join and support debate on the treatment of human remains of another disadvantaged minority group, First Nations of Australia, to restore social justice for all.

Challenges

Political Challenges

  • Diplomatic and international relations: Engaging with the Polish and Australian governments, Indigenous communities, and academic institutions required diplomacy, particularly regarding repatriation efforts and historical injustices.
  • Institutional policies: Universities and museums often have rigid bureaucratic structures that make it difficult to introduce changes in how collections, especially human remains, are handled.

Ethical Challenges

  • Handling human remains and sacred objects: The project had to address the moral implications of storing and displaying human remains and culturally significant artifacts, ensuring respect for the affected communities.
  • Consultation with Indigenous groups: Ensuring that Yawuru representatives had an active role in decision-making and that their voices were not marginalized was critical to maintaining ethical integrity.
  • Scientific research vs. cultural respect: Balancing the academic value of studying historical collections with the ethical responsibility to repatriate or properly contextualize remains was a complex issue.
  • Consent and historical injustices: Many of the items in museum collections were obtained through colonial violence or unethical means, raising questions about how to reconcile past wrongs.

Logistical Challenges

  • Coordination between institutions: The collaboration between multiple universities, museums, and NGOs across different countries required extensive planning and negotiation.
  • Partners located on different continents with different time zones: The Project budget did not allow for in-person participation of all partners and speakers located in Poland, Germany, and Australia. Organizing an event with both in-person and remote participation from international scholars and Indigenous representatives required meticulous planning and taking into consideration different time zones.
  • Collection research and verification: Properly identifying and documenting objects and remains in existing collections, considering the shift of borders and change of political systems in Poland, required time-consuming research and interdisciplinary expertise.

Solutions

  • Interdisciplinary working group: The conference was the result of networking, and a series of meetings involving a group of researchers from different universities invited by the organisers to reflect on Klaatch’s collection. The process of consultations extended over nearly a year, during which research was conducted, and collaboration was established between scholars from different countries as well as the representatives of indigenous communities whose artifacts and human remains were appropriated by Klaatsch.
  • Knowledge exchange: Different stakeholders such as scholars, museum professionals, NGOs, and community representatives discussed the broader implications of working with these collections. The interdisciplinary participation of experts from fields such as cultural studies, medicine, biology, anthropology, and history enriched the discussions, making the conference a platform for diverse perspectives.
  • Hybrid event with live streaming: The conference was a hybrid event, with on-site participants from Poland and Germany who were joined online by Australian researchers and minority representatives who presented their perspectives on the Hermann Klaatsch collection. Live streaming allowed larger audiences in Europe and in Australia to watch the conference in real time and to come back to the recording afterwards.
  • Popularization: the academic conference was accompanied by a public event, which allowed for local discussion of the so-called “post-German” legacy in Western Poland on specific examples of university collections and exhibitions.

Description

The initiative began with pre-conference activities led by Dr. Agata Strządała (UMF & Wrocław Medical University), setting the stage for deeper discussions. A series of meetings took place addressing the ethical challenges of acquiring, storing, exhibiting, and researching human remains, using the controversial Hermann Klaatsch collection as a case study. Scholars from institutions such as the University of Warsaw, the Museum of the Jagiellonian University, the University of Wrocław, Wrocław Medical University, and the Zapomniane Foundation examined research on sensitive collections. The discussions shaped the framework for the main conference involving researchers, students, and the general public, highlighting the relevance of such debates in academic institutions, museums, and public spaces.

The first day, November 13, 2024, featured a panel discussion on the Sensitive Heritage of Wrocław at Exhibitions at Odra Centrum in Wrocław. Panelists, including scholars and curators from the University of Wrocław and Wrocław Medical University, discussed the challenges of presenting sensitive heritage in exhibitions and explored the intersection of art, science, and activism.

The second day, November 14, 2024, was dedicated to a scientific conference featuring thirteen presentations aimed at presenting Australian, Polish, and German perspectives on the discussed topics. Key speakers involved Prof. Renata Tańczuk (Institute of Cultural Studies of the University of Wrocław), Dr. Katarzyna Williams (Centre for European Studies, The Australian National University), Dr. Hilary Howes (Centre for Heritage and Museum Studies, College of Arts and Social Sciences, The Australian National University), Prof. Paul Turnbull (School of Humanities, University of Tasmania; Honorary Professor, Centre for Heritage and Museum Studies, The Australian National University), Sarah Yu and Naomi Appleby (Nyamba Buru Yawuru), Dr. Corinna Erckenbrecht (Reiss-Engelhorn-Museums), and Dr. Łukasz Bukowiecki (Warsaw University), who examined the legacy of Hermann Klaatsch’s anthropological research, efforts to repatriate First Nations Australian ancestral remains, and the broader implications of such collections in both German and Polish contexts. A panel discussion, led by Dr. Magdalena Wróblewska, director of the National Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw, facilitated exchanges among scholars, museum professionals, and community representatives. The afternoon session featured insights from experts in history, museology, and biology, addressing the challenges of managing and displaying sensitive collections.

Lessons learned

The need for ethical frameworks in heritage management

  • Universities and museums must adopt clear ethical guidelines for acquiring, storing, and displaying sensitive collections, particularly when these were obtained through colonial or wartime violence or unethical means.
  • Engaging with affected communities, historians, and ethicists is crucial to ensuring responsible curation and research.

The importance of international and interdisciplinary collaboration

  • The initiative demonstrated that cross-border cooperation between civil society organizations, academic institutions, museums, and Indigenous communities can facilitate restitution efforts and improve the ethical handling of collections.
  • Contributions from experts in medicine, anthropology, cultural studies, and museum curation enriched the debate and highlighted diverse perspectives.

Repatriation as a necessary but complex process

  • Returning human remains and sacred objects to their communities of origin is an essential step toward historical justice, but it requires legal, diplomatic, and institutional coordination.
  • While repatriation is often framed as an act of moral responsibility, museums must also reconcile research interests with ethical obligations, ensuring collections are handled with sensitivity and respect.

Challenges of adapting museum narratives and exhibition practices

  • Exhibitions that include sensitive heritage must be approached with caution, ensuring that historical contexts, ethical considerations, and affected communities’ perspectives are represented.
  • Museums and universities should shift from passive custodianship to active engagement, fostering dialogue about colonial legacies and restitution efforts.

Policy and institutional change are necessary

  • Many academic and museum institutions lack formal policies for handling sensitive heritage. This initiative highlighted the need for systemic reforms to align institutional practices with ethical standards and international recommendations.
  • Future discussions should focus on integrating ethical collection management policies into university curricula and museum governance structures.

The role of public awareness and education

  • The conference underscored the importance of educating both academic communities and the broader public on the significance of ethically managing sensitive heritage.
  • Engaging students and young researchers in these discussions can promote a new generation of ethically conscious scholars and curators.
  • The planned scientific publication in 2026 will further develop these discussions, contributing to the global discourse on memory, heritage, and social justice.

More

Conference full program

Watch videos from conference sessions

Financing

 

Photos – Wojciech Chrubasik