This Week in Woke: Stop Objectifying Mummies!

Some archaeologists believe that the word “mummy” undermines the humanity and human rights of ancient tyrants who slaved Jews

What’s the problem? Mummies are objectified.

What happened? CNN Style reports that there are a few British museums that have been listed. stopped Use the word “mummy” Description of the mummified remains and artifacts of ancient Egyptians.

Why? To encourage museum visitors “to think of the individual who once lived,” To combat negative portrayals in popular culture about mummies “supernatural monsters.” Some museums also expressed concern about the possibility of a terrorism attack. “mummy” It is a relic from “imperial and colonial thinking and actions that were based on racial and racist understandings of the world.”

What is the solution? Alternate terms like “mummified person” Or “mummified remains of [the person’s name, if known]” To promote cultural sensitivity, inclusion and cooperation

Background: Mummification It was an expensive and complicated process, usually reserved for Egyptian rulers, nobility members, and government officials. This group of authoritarian rulers, along with their wealthy allies, is best known for their prodigious use of slave labor and animosity towards Jews.

What they are saying: “By using terms such as ‘mummified person,’ we can begin to change our outlook and see these remains for what they really are—not objects or curiosities, but real humans who were once alive and had very specific beliefs about how their bodies should be treated after death.”

—Jo Anderson, assistant keeper of archaeology at the Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle

Bottom line: Do not judge a mummy based on its sarcophagus. This means that we must respect the cultural and human rights of long-dead slaveowners. This does not apply, obviously, to long-dead aristocratic slaveowners of British or European descent who played a role in the expansion of colonial empires or the founding of the United States.