«Swiss heritage institutions hold at least 4,175 human remains in their collections—mostly skulls—that were acquired in colonial contexts». This is one of the conclusions of the report «Human Remains from Colonial Contexts in Switzerland. An Overview», based on a survey of 24 Swiss institutions conducted by Bernhard Schär, Fabio Rossinelli, and Ahmet Köken between 2023 and 2025.
Available in four languages, the report provides an overview of the issue of human remains held in Swiss museums, takes stock of the situation in Switzerland, and makes recommendations for strengthening efforts in the areas of research, financial support, and restitution.
The report can be downloaded from the University of Lausanne website.
Citation: Schär, Bernhard; Rossinelli, Fabio; Köken, Ahmet: Human Remains from Colonial Contexts in Switzerland. An Overview, Centre d'histoire internationale et d'études politiques de la mondialisation, 2025. Online: <https://iris.unil.ch/handle/iris/275417>, Stand: 09.09.2025.
Sculpture by Sri Lankan artist Deneth Piumakshi Veda Arachchige from 2020, commemorating the existence of a collection of skulls and other skeletal parts that researchers from Basel had collected in the 1880s in the colony of Ceylon for their “racial research.” Photo credit: Priska Kletterer (2020).