The Anatomy of a Colony: the Congolese body displayed (1880-1930).

This project proposes to examine the access to and use of the human cadaver and body parts in the Belgian Congo for scientific and medical purposes between 1880 and 1930. We will examine the transformation of these human bodies and body parts into scientific artifacts through the collection stories of skulls and other anatomical specimens, and an analysis of the ways in which they are reinterpreted as they move from the burial ground to the laboratory or museum. We will also study how human anatomy was taught to the first generation of Congolese medical staff, and how these representations aligned with existing ones. Finally, we will study the controversies and debates surrounding anatomical knowledge in the Congo, and the process by which the human body was presented and used for professional or political goals by missionaries, researchers, and doctors.

Keywords:Colony, Congolese body

Disciplines:History