Final answer:
Sara Baartman was exhibited in Europe as a symbol of exotic and sexualized Black femininity, and after death, her body parts were displayed for scientific study. This treatment was part of a broader pattern of racism that objectified Black bodies. Her remains were eventually repatriated to South Africa for burial in 2002.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sara Baartman's body was used as a voyeuristic spectacle and scientific curiosity during the 19th century. Baartman, also known as 'The Hottentot Venus,' was a Khoikhoi woman who was displayed in Europe for her large buttocks and genitals, which European audiences found both fascinating and exotic.
Following her death, a plaster cast of her body was exhibited at the Musée de l'Homme in Paris, and her genitalia and brain were preserved and put on display, epitomizing the exoticization and scientific racism directed towards Black females during this period. These acts were justified by pseudo-scientific claims rooted in racism that pathologized Black sexuality, reducing Baartman to less than human status. It was not until 2002 that her remains were returned to South Africa for a proper burial, following negotiations by then-President Nelson Mandela and the French government.