Friday, August 21, 2009

Japanese Bones II

A controversy that may not go away anytime soon. Another article in which California state lawmakers demand repatriation, and one reporting the case to the British public. All the facts of the collection have yet to come out -- and both the university and the Japanese government have not said much, so far as we can tell.

After the last posting on this controversy, someone rightly asks in a comment what the different outcomes of this case might be if the remains were in fact legally collected and conveyed to the museum, compared to an illicit collection and acquisition in contravention of international law. As we learn more, it will be good to get a better handle on the legalities involved. But no doubt too, strong arguments will be made about the ethics of this collection -- asking what our professional and human ethics ask of us beyond what the law might allow.

No comments: