Demands for Restitution - a recent phenomenon? Early histories of human remains violations in Namibia

Current demands by Namibian families and communities for restitution of human remains and so-called ethnographic objects in European collections are rooted in much longer traditions of restitution demands than is generally anticipated. In this paper I discuss pre- and early colonial human remains violations and African protest and resistance, which triggered principal restitution, demands and fostered a critique of colonial scientific practices, all of which resonate in current restitution politics.