World news and discussion on TalkFuse.
Brazil reclaims two skulls used in Harvard eugenics studies
Two skulls believed to belong to Africans or Afro-Brazilians were returned to Brazil after being held at Harvard’s Peabody Museum and used in racist eugenics studies. The repatriation follows a four-year campaign and is part of efforts to restore the dignity of people whose remains were taken without consent.
One skull may belong to a man involved in an 1835 revolt in Salvador, when about 600 African Muslims tried to seize the city; 70 rebels were killed. The other was taken from Rio de Janeiro in the 1860s, but little is known about the person. Brazilian researchers will investigate their identities, and the government says the remains will be buried with funeral rites once that work is complete.
In short
- Harvard returned two skulls to Brazil after a four-year campaign.
- One may belong to a participant in an 1835 slave revolt.
- Researchers will identify the individuals before their burial.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by The Guardian as “Two skulls likely belonging to enslaved people returned to Brazil after Harvard used them in eugenics studies”.