Why museums should keep their mummies and shrunken heads

As a kid, FT associate editor Stephen Bush loved seeing ghoulish things: mummies, shrunken heads, supposedly magical severed hands. He credits these items with teaching him curiosity and a love for museums. So when he hears the argument that human remains do not belong on display, his answer is, unequivocally: if they weren’t stolen, they should stay. On today’s episode, Stephen defends his position to guest host Marc Filippino as they dig into questions of consent, ownership, and cultural context.   -------Want to take our survey for a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones? Here’s the link, and here are the terms and conditions.We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. We’re on X @lifeandartpod and on email at [email protected]. And please share this episode with your friends!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Stephen’s column about this is here: https://on.ft.com/4dtnTt0– Stephen is on X @stephenkb-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.