In this contribution, we would like to address the ethical issues concerning deten- tion and exposition in museums of human remains. Italian literature on the subject is still very poor in contrast with other countries. We will present two emblematic examples of complex cases involving Italian museums, requiring ethical reflection. The first is the case of the Gorini Collection (Lodi) and the recent donation of the mummies of the ‘‘Giuseppe Paravicini Col- lection’’ belonged to incurable patients of the mental hospital of Mombello, near Milan. The second is the case of the mummified remains of the head of a Celano child in the anthropologi- cal section of Chieti’s University Museum, also known as ‘‘Celano child’’. These cases highlight and examine the difficult and problematic issues of accessibility and providing safeguard for cultural heritage and also ethical order.

Museums and human remains: ethical issues in curating and displaying = Musées et restes humains : questions éthiques liées à la conservation et à la exposition

Marta Licata
2019-01-01

Abstract

In this contribution, we would like to address the ethical issues concerning deten- tion and exposition in museums of human remains. Italian literature on the subject is still very poor in contrast with other countries. We will present two emblematic examples of complex cases involving Italian museums, requiring ethical reflection. The first is the case of the Gorini Collection (Lodi) and the recent donation of the mummies of the ‘‘Giuseppe Paravicini Col- lection’’ belonged to incurable patients of the mental hospital of Mombello, near Milan. The second is the case of the mummified remains of the head of a Celano child in the anthropologi- cal section of Chieti’s University Museum, also known as ‘‘Celano child’’. These cases highlight and examine the difficult and problematic issues of accessibility and providing safeguard for cultural heritage and also ethical order.
2019
Human remains; Cultural heritage; Museums; Ethics Restes humains ; Patrimoine culturel ; Musées ; Éthique
Monza, Francesca; Ciliberti, Rosagemma; D’Anastasio, Ruggero; Licata, Marta
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11383/2182411
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