The Schepenese mummy, photographed in 2022, at the Abbey Library in St Gallen.
Gian Ehrenzeller / Keystone
Swiss museums still hold at least 4,000 human bones and other remains from the colonial era. In an interview, cultural anthropologist Konrad Kuhn explains how a country that never had colonies of its own became a hub for these sensitive collections.
For a long time, the belief that Switzerland played no part in colonial exploitation persisted because it had no overseas colonies. Historical researchExternal link tells a different story. Swiss researchers, traders and collectors were influential figures in the colonial enterprise, bringing thousands of human bones into Swiss collections.
Museums and policymakers must now grapple with the ethical, legal and logistical complexities of this legacy. Cultural anthropologist Konrad Kuhn explains the challenges Switzerland has yet to face.
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Human remains in museum depots force Swiss to confront colonial legacy
Swissinfo: Is Switzerland setting a good example in confronting the colonial history of its collections, or is it lagging behind other European countries?
Konrad Kuhn: Switzerland, like all European countries, still has work to do in confronting the colonial history of its collections. The discussion may have begun somewhat later here. It took several decades for the public to recognise that colonial attitudes were also part of Swiss society, and that Switzerland, too, held colonial collections.
In recent years, the debate about tracing the origins of museum collections has gained real momentum. Even local and regional museums are acutely aware of the challenges and the need to respond. So far, the discussion has avoided simplistic accusations or legal demands. Swiss museums and collections are run by a wide range of authorities and organisations, including cities and cantons, but often also private individuals or foundations. This makes questions of legal responsibility extremely complex.
Swissinfo: Why does Switzerland hold thousands of human bones and other remains when it never had a colonial empire of its own?
Konrad Kuhn, lecturer in the Department of Cultural Studies and European Ethnology.
unibas.ch
K.K.: Swiss society was shaped by a deeply rooted bourgeois belief in the legitimacy of colonialism. This was closely linked to a scientific approach that assumed the peoples and cultures of colonised territories needed protection from the modern world. The paradox was that colonialism itself was bringing that modernity to them.
Moreover, Swiss scientists, most of them men, were convinced that they were superior to other people and therefore had the right to take possession of their bodies in the interests of “science”. Racist ideas reinforced this conviction.
Switzerland’s close economic ties with the rest of the world gave collectors ample opportunity to take possession of human bodies, including living people. Cities, associations, societies and cantons competed to build their museum collections, fuelling enormous demand for human remains. These often arrived as gifts from people with close ties to the museums.
Konrad Kuhn is a cultural anthropologist, cultural studies scholar and European ethnologist. He is an associate professor at the University of InnsbruckExternal link and also works as a researcher and lecturer at the University of Basel. His work focuses on the history of knowledge, historical anthropology and the critical analysis of Switzerland’s involvement in colonialism.
Swissinfo: The sheer size of these collections is striking. What does it tell us about Switzerland’s role?
K.K.: Precisely because Switzerland had no colonial empire of its own, it could act more flexibly within the colonial system. Swiss scientists, traders and missionaries could work across colonial networks, where their reputation for “neutrality” and purely “scientific” motives helped them gain access. This also facilitated “racial research”, a prominent field in Switzerland that relied heavily on human bodies, especially skulls, acquired in colonial settings.
Swissinfo: In 2007 the UN affirmed Indigenous peoples’ right to be able to recover their ancestors’ remains. Why is implementation in many countries taking so long?
K.K.: This fundamental right requires museums, particularly in Europe and North America, to confront their own histories. A sense of shame over unethical behaviour of the past often blocks this process. In principle, almost everyone today agrees that human remains should be treated with respect. Putting this into practice, however, is proving exceptionally difficult.
It is particularly complicated in Switzerland. Former colonial powers mainly hold remains from territories they once ruled, but Swiss collections contain remains from all over the world. Tracing their origins and communicating with the communities they came from in Asia, Oceania, Africa, the Americas and the Arctic is therefore a much more complicated undertaking.
Swissinfo: Experts are calling for more research into the origins of these collections and an open platform for the communities concerned. What would that achieve?
K.K.: It is essential that responsibility be shifted from communities seeking information to institutions providing it. Communities should not have to struggle to find out what museums hold. Institutions must take the initiative and be open about their collections. Only then can communities request the return of remains and work in partnership with institutions. Openness is essential, both now and in the future.
What matters is finding a dignified, long-term approach rather than simply rushing to get the issue dealt with quickly. People in politics often push for the swift return of remains so they can draw a line under the matter. That may be the right approach in some cases. But often we must accept that these processes take time and that the way forward is neither easy nor comfortable.
Canton Basel City provides a recent example of this process:
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Edited by Marc Leutenegger. Adapted from German by David Kelso Kaufher/ts
