Poniemiecka kolekcja czaszek ludzkich z Australii w polskim muzeum: czyje dziedzictwo?

Abstract

Among rich collections of different provenance kept at the Museum of Man in Wrocław (Poland), there are c. 70 human skulls acquired in an illegal and unethical way by German comparative anatomist and physical anthropologist Hermann Klaatsch (1863−1916) during his fieldwork in Australia (1904−1907). The paper is an introductory intervention into the topic, aimed at presenting how the call for decolonizing the museum sector may refer to museum objects kept in a country such Poland that did not have its own colonies. The argumentation is focused on reconstructing the history of the Klaatsch collection and the contemporary international context which may affect its future. This story addresses both the global approach to engaging with colonial pasts and Poland’s historical particularities connected with the aftermaths of the Second World War.