Ethical issues of bioarchaeology in Southeast Asia

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Future of Bioarchaeology in Archaeology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Since the 1990s, there has been an increase in bioarchaeological research in many parts of Southeast Asia conducted by both locals and non-locals. Southeast Asian countries are characterised by varied social, cultural, and political histories, but there are also some broad similarities in terms of poor economic development that limits much local research, strong nationalism, and rigid bureaucratic procedures for research. All have implications for the future of bioarchaeological research. Despite increasing growth in the field, the ethics of the practice of bioarchaeology in this region remain relatively underexplored. This paper presents some of the main ethical issues of research with human remains in the region focusing on the countries of Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia, from a non-local and local researcher viewpoint. We review a range of ethical issues, including the varied way different cultures respond to bioarchaeological work, local and non-local partnership in research, community archaeology, bioarchaeological methods including post-excavation management, and looting of archaeological sites. With the recent development of local expertise in bioarchaeology in the region, the repatriation of skeletal samples, the increase in local training, and partnerships between local and non-local bioarchaeologists, there is much promise for the further development of local research in the field.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Future of Bioarchaeology in Archaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24450