In recent years, many museums and universities have begun to address past colonial injustices by critically examining their collections of human remains, often leading to their restitution to their assumed countries of origins. Such efforts are usually framed as acts of recognition, reconciliation, and repair. However, the diverse difficulties and frictions that accompany restitutions often escape public attention. This post introduces some of such difficulties that need to be taken into account to understand the complexity of restitution processes.
Author: Joanna Karolina Malinowska
Joanna Karolina Malinowska is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland and a Fellow at The New Institute in Hamburg, Germany (01-06.2025). Her research primarily focuses on the philosophy of science, with strong intersections in ontology, epistemology, and ethics. Malinowska’s work critically examines how concepts such as race and ethnicity, racism and whiteness are understood and used in scientific contexts. From 2021 to 2024 she was the Principal Investigator in a project considering applications and interpretations of ethno-racial categories in biomedical research and health care.
