Ethical Dilemmas in the Study and Care of Human Remains beyond North America

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Ethical Dilemmas in the Study and Care of Human Remains beyond North America" at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) has transformed how archaeologists conceive of ethical research and curatorial practice involving human remains. For example, most US museums refrain from the display of human remains, and many academic journals, including the flagship journals of the SAA, restrict the publication of photographs of human remains. While these measures are supported by many North American Indigenous groups (and archaeologists), they do not fully account for perspectives outside of the US and Canada, particularly those from Latin America where stakeholders have different relationships with the dead and attitudes toward the display of remains. How should archaeology proceed when descendant communities’ wishes conflict with dominant attitudes in the Global North? Does the extension of a US-centered ethos onto research and engagement in the Global South risk reproducing forms of cultural imperialism? Alternatively, if the alienation of descendant communities from their ancestors is in part a consequence of colonialism, what are the implications of using this ambivalence to justify bioarchaeological research in Latin America? This forum will grapple with the challenges and nuances of ethical praxis in countries where social attitudes toward the dead vary and legal guidelines for their protection are nonexistent or underdeveloped.