ABSTRACT
Current restitution processes tend to privilege the universalist claims of science, the nation state, and an essentialist view of cultural groups. The current adversarial restitution processes which compromise the ability of museums to do what they most crucially need to do. Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh has explored these different ideas of value in an attempt to propose a middle way: he looks at social value, utilitarian value, and a middle ground. Pagan involvement in human remains issues has been criticized, with Pagans explicitly rejected as legitimate claimants, and their 'claims' called 'bogus' and invalid. Deliberative democracy is all about a dialogue, involving all those affected in a decision, based on fairness, in which all key issues have been delegated for decision to the group participating in the dialogue. It is not an easy process. A deliberative democratic process minimizes the automatic privileging of the universalist claims of science and of the nation state, and an essentialist view of cultural groups.
