Hominin heritage: How institutional repositories are managing collections, collaboration and repatriation
In this article, we discuss South African heritage management, and how it has shaped the role institutions play in protecting heritage 100 years ago versus today. Museums and universities are in a difficult position as they address past unethical archaeology and palaeoanthropology practices while i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Academy of Science of South Africa
2025-02-01
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| Series: | South African Journal of Science |
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| Online Access: | https://sajs.co.za/article/view/18569 |
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| _version_ | 1825206536780120064 |
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| author | Wendy Black Bernhard Zipfel Mirriam Tawane Glynn Alard Phillip Hine |
| author_facet | Wendy Black Bernhard Zipfel Mirriam Tawane Glynn Alard Phillip Hine |
| author_sort | Wendy Black |
| collection | DOAJ |
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In this article, we discuss South African heritage management, and how it has shaped the role institutions play in protecting heritage 100 years ago versus today. Museums and universities are in a difficult position as they address past unethical archaeology and palaeoanthropology practices while implementing transformation and decolonisation approaches to protect and share heritage inclusively. We outline some of the complexities that museums, universities, and heritage bodies face in navigating human evolution research, site and material access, potential returns, repatriations or reburials, curation and the development of accessible educational content in a contemporary context.
Significance:
Museums, heritage agencies and universities have been the custodians of archaeological and palaeoanthropological heritage for a long time. In the past, conserving heritage was more about advocating race-based scientific study and advancing the colonial agenda. One hundred years later, this landscape has changed, but is not perfect. The complexities of heritage management, museum curation and collection, repatriation, and how we teach and share human evolution are many. Those navigating these complexities strive for a transformed and inclusive custodianship in an often difficult socio-political landscape, while simultaneously protecting and sharing our heritage.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eb4b6808eb3448428dcb00e9d2f7fdbc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1996-7489 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Academy of Science of South Africa |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South African Journal of Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-eb4b6808eb3448428dcb00e9d2f7fdbc2025-02-07T08:28:53ZengAcademy of Science of South AfricaSouth African Journal of Science1996-74892025-02-011211/210.17159/sajs.2025/18569Hominin heritage: How institutional repositories are managing collections, collaboration and repatriationWendy Black0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8540-1588Bernhard Zipfel1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4251-884XMirriam Tawane2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0462-9423Glynn Alard3Phillip Hine41.Archaeology Unit, Research & Exhibitions Department, Iziko Museums of South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa; 2.Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South AfricaEvolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa1.Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; 2.National Heritage Council, Pretoria, South AfricaEducation Department, Iziko Museums of South Africa, Cape Town, South AfricaArchaeology, Palaeontology and Meteorites Unit, South African Heritage Resources Agency, Cape Town, South Africa In this article, we discuss South African heritage management, and how it has shaped the role institutions play in protecting heritage 100 years ago versus today. Museums and universities are in a difficult position as they address past unethical archaeology and palaeoanthropology practices while implementing transformation and decolonisation approaches to protect and share heritage inclusively. We outline some of the complexities that museums, universities, and heritage bodies face in navigating human evolution research, site and material access, potential returns, repatriations or reburials, curation and the development of accessible educational content in a contemporary context. Significance: Museums, heritage agencies and universities have been the custodians of archaeological and palaeoanthropological heritage for a long time. In the past, conserving heritage was more about advocating race-based scientific study and advancing the colonial agenda. One hundred years later, this landscape has changed, but is not perfect. The complexities of heritage management, museum curation and collection, repatriation, and how we teach and share human evolution are many. Those navigating these complexities strive for a transformed and inclusive custodianship in an often difficult socio-political landscape, while simultaneously protecting and sharing our heritage. https://sajs.co.za/article/view/18569museum collectionsheritage managementrepatriationhuman evolution educationcuration |
| spellingShingle | Wendy Black Bernhard Zipfel Mirriam Tawane Glynn Alard Phillip Hine Hominin heritage: How institutional repositories are managing collections, collaboration and repatriation South African Journal of Science museum collections heritage management repatriation human evolution education curation |
| title | Hominin heritage: How institutional repositories are managing collections, collaboration and repatriation |
| title_full | Hominin heritage: How institutional repositories are managing collections, collaboration and repatriation |
| title_fullStr | Hominin heritage: How institutional repositories are managing collections, collaboration and repatriation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hominin heritage: How institutional repositories are managing collections, collaboration and repatriation |
| title_short | Hominin heritage: How institutional repositories are managing collections, collaboration and repatriation |
| title_sort | hominin heritage how institutional repositories are managing collections collaboration and repatriation |
| topic | museum collections heritage management repatriation human evolution education curation |
| url | https://sajs.co.za/article/view/18569 |
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