Inspired by a key session for the World Archaeological Congress in South Africa, The Dead and their Possessions is the first book to tackle the principle, policy and practice of repatriating museum artefacts, rather than cultural heritage in general.

Increasingly, indigenous people world-wide are asserting their fundamental right to determine the future of the human remains of their ancestors, and are requesting their return, often for reburial, with varying degrees of success. This repatriation campaign has become hugely significant in universities and museums...

The controversial 'reburial issue' first developed about thirty years ago when some indigenous groups started to campaign for the return of their ancestral human remains from museums and collecting institutions, and these requests were refused. Since then, museums in some countries have responded positively to repatriation requests while those in others continue to refuse them. This incisive book provides the reader with what has been generally missing in the current debate and available literature - a detailed historical understanding of how and why these collections were amassed, and the...