ABSTRACT
A confl uence of infl uences has contributed to problematizing the holding of human remains in collections. In particular, these are the crisis of cultural authority contributing to professional activism and weak resistance to it, and the rise of the body as a site of identity and political struggle. So far I have examined this development in relation to remains from overseas indigenous groups, and the formation and impact of a particular Pagan group. This chapter analyzes the activity around uncontested human remains, focusing primarily on their display, and further examining the infl uences and limits to the construction of this problem by looking in greater detail at the interaction between professionals and particular bodies. The impact of concerns about human remains on those uncontested is eclectic and inconsistent, but there is an identifi able impact. I fi rst discuss the exhibition of the bog body Lindow Man, then the covering of Egyptian Mummies at Manchester Museum. Following which I present further analysis of the respect discourse and the policies of particular museums. Finally, I turn to the exhibition Skeletons: London’s Buried Bones, where I suggest professionals are attempting to reauthorize scientifi c research and the display of bodies by adopting the discourse of identity work.
