Decolonize this collection: Integrating black feminism and art to re‐examine human skeletal remains in museums

Abstract

AbstractThis article combines traditional avenues of bioarchaeological research with Black feminist theory to decolonize identified skeletal collections housed in museums. Inspired by the activism of Decolonize This Place (DTP), I put the remains of Black women who were dissected in Progressive Era New York City into conversation with Black feminist theorists and artists. I argue that to “flesh in” the lives of these long anonymized and disarticulated women, it is essential to perform interdisciplinary and decolonizing work that is inspired by Black women. The field of biological anthropology will benefit from moving past privileging “scientific” knowledge and considering what the arts might contribute to our representations of the bodies we study, as suggested by Katherine McKittrick (2010). Furthermore, for our field to truly become inclusive, we must encourage scholars with multiple consciousnesses, as proposed by Faye Harrison (2010).