Hilary Howes

Dr. Hilary Howes is an ARC DECRA Fellow at The Australian National University's Centre for Heritage and Museum Studies. Her research focuses on Indigenous human remains in Russian imperial collections, colonial anthropology, and German scientific networks in the Pacific. She holds a PhD in History from ANU and multiple degrees from the University of Melbourne, including a BSc and German language diploma. Her work bridges history, anthropology, and museum studies, addressing repatriation ethics, colonial-era scientific practices, and Pacific archaeological histories.

Education:

• PhD in History (ANU, 2011)
• MA in History & Philosophy of Science (Melbourne)
• BSc, BA (Hons), Diploma in German (Melbourne)

Research Interests:

• Indigenous repatriation of human remains
• 19th-century scientific racism and colonial networks
• German and Russian Pacific anthropology
• Pacific archaeological historiography

Awards:

• ARC DECRA Fellowship (2021–2025)

Grants & Projects:

• "Skulls for the Tsar": Indigenous remains in Russian collections
• Provenancing research at Paris Natural History Museum
• "The search for Jandamarra" project

Labs/Teams: Centre for Heritage and Museum Studies research group focusing on cultural repatriation and colonial legacies.