Scholarly and policy debates concerning the contributions of memory to political transitions often examine whether memorials contribute to democratic practices, reinforce partisan divides, or depend on the distinct processes and aims of any given memorial endeavor. All three positions rest on the assumption that stakeholder intentions govern the social and political meanings asserted through memorial practices. Another story emerges if one begins with material objects, human remains. Following the story of skeletal remains from Ethiopia’s Red Terror, this essay argues that objects demonstrate how intentions slip and fail to adhere. In so doing, objects provide a lesson in the limits of memorial politics.
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