Shirobokov, I. G. SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET: A FINNISH CEMETERY AS A SOURCE OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL DATA. Proceedings of Petrozavodsk State University. 2026;48(6):103–107. DOI: 10.15393/uchz.art.2026.1356


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SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET: A FINNISH CEMETERY AS A SOURCE OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL DATA

Shirobokov
I. G.
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) RAS
Keywords:
professional ethics
physical anthropology
Northeastern Europe
Summary: The aim of this article is to analyze the conditions under which the removal of human remains from relatively recent burials became possible for the purposes of anthropological research and the expansion of museum collections. Drawing on the case of excavations at a Karelian-Finnish cemetery near the settlement of Kurkijoki, the study demonstrates how the rupture of social continuity, caused by the territorial changes of the mid-twentieth century, enabled anthropologists to apply to these burials the same logic used in the study of ancient archaeological material. Following the return of descendants in the post-Soviet period, craniological and historical-anthropological research has continued without addressing the fact of the removal of the remains. The case calls for a reconsideration of the scientistic model of research, as well as for discussion of institutional mechanisms for engagement with stakeholder communities.




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