Dead people living in museums: the ‘human objects’ of the National Museum of Anthropology in Madrid

Abstract

This article presents the case of Agustín, the giant of Extremadura, bones and statue of a man that integrate the Museo Nacional de Antropología de Madrid’s collection of the end of the 19^th century, to deal with this presence and exhibition in museums. Fairly common practice in museums and universal exhibitions in nineteenth-century Europe, the presence of dead people in current collections reveals contrasts in the modes of interpretation by institutions, councils, committees, and audience. Questions about ethics and relevance of their condition as cultural heritage are debated in opposition to the identity celebrations that also trigger.

Keywords
Heritage; Museum; Collections; Objects; Human bodies