Speaking of the dead: Human remains as heritage in the Singapore context
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RIS BIB ENDNOTEPublication date: 29.06.2024
Gdansk Journal of East Asian Studies, 2024, Issue 25, pp. 135 - 156
https://doi.org/10.4467/23538724GS.24.009.19870Authors
Speaking of the dead: Human remains as heritage in the Singapore context
This article considers, in the Singapore context, the legal status of unburied human remains having heritage value, which might be in the form of a deceased person’s corpse that has not been interred; or preserved remains, possibly in a museum or a private collection. It is submitted that, following the guided discretion approach adopted in recent cases concerning human tissue obtained from living human beings, such human remains should be regarded as having the status of property. This would, among other things, enable civil and criminal proceedings to be pursued in domestic law if such remains are removed from archaeological sites or museums without authorization, and for international frameworks facilitating the return of illicitly exported cultural objects to apply. The article also looks at the status of buried human remains, grave goods and funerary monuments, and guidelines concerning the proper treatment of remains in a museum setting. Provided that the interests and beliefs of the community, ethnic or religious groups from whom human remains originated are considered, research into human remains and their sensitive display in museums are important ways for us to learn more about our origins and ourselves.
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Information: Gdansk Journal of East Asian Studies, 2024, Issue 25, pp. 135 - 156
Article type: Original article
Titles:
ICOMOS Singapore
Singapore
Published at: 29.06.2024
Article status: Open
Licence: CC BY
Percentage share of authors:
Article corrections:
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EnglishView count: 176
Number of downloads: 84